Days of Tears
by warinbabylon
Summary: Does traveling with the Doctor make you crazy? When the Doctor reappears in an old companion's life, that question is addressed while the world seemingly falls apart. Updated. Current through chapter 8
1. Prologue

Title: Days of Tears - Prologue  
  
Disclaimer: The characters belong to BBC. No money is made...I'm just having a ball.  
  
Author's Notes: I always wondered if the companions of the Doctor would have any lasting emotional or psychological affects from traveling as they do. This story, when complete, will hopefully address that and have a plot somewhere along the way . Takes place between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire.  
  
**  
  
It all started much as it had the first time: unexpectedly and yet with a certain amount of fate. Her bags were packed and stacked by the door. The furniture was gone; only the television playing to an empty room remained. The woman sighed, putting down a picture book in a box when the knock came on her front door. Another friend saying goodbye, she supposed.  
  
Her bare feet made a strange slapping sound on the wood floor as she padded to the door of the flat. She didn't bother to look in the peephole - forgetful, never trusting - and quickly flung open the door.  
  
And her life changed with a quiet greeting of an old friend: "Hello, Tegan. It has been a while, hasn't it?"  
  
**  
  
Rainy, dreary, cold and unfriendly, the early Saturday morning that greeted her as she opened the door reminded her of depression long past and anxiety as potent as wine. Feelings of dread, fear, sorrow and regret flooded her as easily as the rain did the gutter in front of the flat. She supposed she should have known better than to open the door; remembering too late that she had not checked the peep hole.  
  
There he stood, rain falling off the brim of his ever-present Panama hat in soft dribbles and his cream coat surprisingly waterproof to the insult of the water. His blond hair was darker than she remembered- an intermediate brown from the moisture. His face was a mixture of lurking happiness and uncertainty; his blue eyes wary and shy. He seemed a little older to her, if it was possible to see age in a Time Lord, and more mature. But, overall, he was the same undeniable, youngish Doctor she had known for years, and had missed for just as many.  
  
In fact, the feeling of déjà vu was so strong that if it was not for the fact that she stood in her own doorway, clad in her favorite Saturday morning sweats ensemble, she could have sworn she was just coming awake on board the TARDIS.  
  
She gasped quietly and leaned into the doorstop for support. "Oh no."  
  
The Time Lord grimaced, whisking his hat of his head, oblivious to the falling rain. He offered a weak smile. "I'm afraid so, Tegan. But may I come in? It is rather wet out here."  
  
Tegan Jovanka Jones stood in the doorway for a few moments, tempted to tell him no. She was tempted to shut the door with a loud, decisive bang. She was tempted to curl into a ball both mentally and physically. But a strong feeling of relief mixed with terror flooded her and she found her bare feet standing in the puddle that was her front stoop and her arms around her old friend. Her face was buried into his wet, but warm smelling sweater and his arms rounded her shoulders in a friendly embrace. She felt some of his uncertainty bleed from him and heard his voice rumble through his chest as he said: "Or you could join me out here. Misery loves company, I always say."  
  
** 


	2. Reunions

Four hours previous  
  
  
  
Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, retired, stood outside the door in the most early hours of the spring morning and stared at the falling rain. The day had not yet decided on the dawn, but that seemed not to bother the officer. He remained, holding his hands behind his back, at attention, as the other officers entered the large empty warehouse. He rocked forward on his toes and rested back. A stray thought, that maybe he was too old for this sort of thing crossed his mind and was quickly put to rest.  
  
His wait was rewarded within minutes as a blue form of a police box wheezed into existence just feet from him. A smile touched his face as he waited the moments from the box's strange appearance until the door opened. A tall man, youngish, with blond hair dressed in a cricketers outfit and a Panama hat stepped from the box, and smiled widely at the army officer. "Lethbridge-Stewart! So good to see you again."  
  
The Brigadier shook his head with a sigh. "And you Doctor!"  
  
The Doctor walked forward with his hand outstretched. "How are you?"  
  
"Good grief, Doctor…this is not old home week."  
  
"I gathered as much," the Doctor answered and turned to glance at his young, red-headed companion as the boy stepped from the TARDIS and joined them. The boy lowered his intense blue-eyed stare to the ground as he approached his old school teacher. The Doctor frowned. "No cause for rudeness, however, Brigadier. You remember Turlough, don't you?"  
  
As the two men acknowledged each other with a grunt and a hum, the Doctor continued. "Now…this…" he produced a paper from his pocket. "I believe was sent from you on the emergency circuit and wavelength to the TARDIS. As much as I do not mind a side trip to Earth, I would rather like to know the nature and severity of this….let's see what word you used…ah yes…imminent danger. The message awakened my curiosity to say the least."  
  
There was a sudden bark of laughter from the older Terran man. "You never were one for beating around the bush, were you, Doctor? Let's go inside and I'll fill you in." He waited a moment, looking behind the silent and sullen Turlough to the TARDIS. "Is Miss Jovanka with you? I would rather like to talk to her."  
  
The Doctor was quiet and reached to remove his hat. He seemed to not have heard the question. Turlough spoke up, his voice quiet, but detailed as usual. "Tegan left us about six months ago…four years by the current date on your calendar."  
  
Stewart nodded. "That might be a problem. She was one of the pieces to our puzzle."  
  
"And what puzzle might that be?" the Doctor asked as they entered the building.  
  
The Brigadier answered. "Daleks, Doctor…and those duplicates…"  
  
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and lowered his eyes. "They were and are unstable….and should have deteriorated quickly."  
  
"Quickly, Doctor…four years and they are still with us. Time Lords always did have a skewed sense of Earth time. And they are well…and I mean quite well…imbedded in the government. We are currently working with the American CIA/FBI and MI6 to weed out and remove them. You see…Huntsville in the United States has been receiving intermittent messages as has been Pharos…"  
  
"Messages? What messages?" the Doctor asked, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"We are unable to decipher them, Doctor," the Brigadier answered. "They are just great jumbles of prime numbers and then series of extremely long strings of nonsense numbers. But it is the timing of receipt that has us wondering. There have been several assassination attempts and bombings…both successful and unsuccessful and these messages…notes…what have you…have occurred at the same time as the attempts or shortly before…"  
  
"And the attacks…you think they are from the inside of the governments?" the Doctor asked, knowing the answer already.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The connection to the Daleks? Other than the coincidental internal connection?"  
  
"The messages come from the approximate position that you had mentioned in that report of yours to us. Galactic 57 degrees north, 65 degrees west."  
  
"Well…if the time corridor malfunctioned…it might be possible that they used what energy they had and…yes…quite possible as well that they established some sort of long range communications program," the Doctor answered thoughtfully. "But the Movelian virus…"  
  
"Ah, yes, Doctor…that is the other thing. There have been several strange requisitions and information requests, and information answers of and within the World Health Organization, UNIT laboratories and the CDC complex in Atlanta, Georgia."  
  
"And the information? Have they been requesting the stores from the UNIT extraterrestrial genetic collection?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ah…well now…that clarifies things a bit. And what use have you of Tegan?"  
  
The Brigadier stopped his walk, standing in front of a door. "Yes…well…Miss Jovanka was the only person on Earth that spent time with the duplicates. We need her expertise, and although rather limited, it is still more than any of us have. We need to find the duplicates and remove them."  
  
"Fix the symptoms not cure the disease. I understand. This disease is a bit more than your race can handle at this moment. If the duplicates were to succeed, they would destabilize the government. It would be a century or more, but civilization would revert. They wouldn't need an invasion now…when the virus is still potent…in a hundred years or so they could invade with minimal effort. But you say that they are working with the genetic stores. I would put a stop to that. All in all this is quite a smashing idea…the internal attempts and the infiltration… if you don't want to overwork yourself."  
  
The Brigadier nodded. "It made sense, therefore, for us to find the people that could help us. You, Turlough here and Miss Jovanka. You all do have an idea of what we are looking for in a duplicate. And you, Doctor, from your past association with us and with your knowledge…"  
  
"Would be an excellent batter against a demon bowler, if you don't mind the association." The Doctor laid down his hat on the table.  
  
Turlough tapped on his shoulder. "I think there is one small thing that we are overlooking."  
  
"And that would be."  
  
"That Tegan is the one person who knows about the duplicates and who is not here with us. If they are running any sort of the tight installation they would be to cleaning up any outstanding weaknesses."  
  
The Doctor frowned. "And they would be looking for her as well."  
  
With a clipped nod, the Brigadier agreed. "What information about Miss Jovanka do you need, Doctor?"  
  
"Her current address would be a start," the Doctor called, running back out toward the TARDIS. "And your car."  
  
**  
  
12.5893.1920.1988  
  
Directive: Supreme Commander  
  
Alert high. Plan imminent. Infiltration of governments is complete.  
  
Weaknesses are to be eliminated. Virus stores located; genetics team available. The invasion will proceed as soon as reassurances are made. Mistakes will not be tolerated.  
  
All glory to the Supreme Dalek.  
  
**  
  
Reynolds held his hands behind his back and stared out at the gray watercolor day. In front of him, through the glass, he could see the Parliament Building, tall and proud, distinct. The rain did little to dull its impact on the landscape. As the door opened behind him, he didn't turn away from the view. As the dark voice of his compatriot sounded, it served only to warrant an answer.  
  
"Reynolds?"  
  
"Yes, Smith," he answered, shifting his weight. He held up a hand before the arrival could continue. "Have we heard from the Supreme Commander?"  
  
"Yes, sir," the younger, smaller man answered. His gray suit was duller and more muted than the black suit of Reynolds. "The mission is a green."  
  
"And the weaknesses we have discussed?"  
  
"All humans are weaknesses…" Smith answered, dutifully.  
  
Reynolds rolled his eyes and nodded. "You are rather down on your father race, Smith. I suppose that is to be expected." He shifted his gaze to the bridge just beyond the buildings. A warehouse was visible on the other side of the Thames. "Your original was very much a 'yes' man, I believe. Have we heard from Styles?"  
  
"Yes," Smith was not phased by the comment on his original. He shifted his stance to appear more at attention. "The interruption of politics is to start. He has informed me that we are to take care of those names on the list."  
  
"Very well…" Reynolds answered and sighed. "You have your orders then."  
  
Smith nodded and left the room, closing the door with a decisive bang. Reynolds returned to his view of the outside waterworld in the silence he liked. After all, it would only be a matter of time until that silence would be shattered.  
  
**  
  
Turlough jogged along side his Gallifreyan friend to the small two door car that was the Brigadier's. "But Doctor…"  
  
"Not now, Turlough…the Brigadier is correct as you were. The Dalek duplicates, if they are attempting some sort of a major military event, will attempt to clean up their weaknesses. They know me, and therefore, they will know her." The Doctor stopped suddenly and turned to the Trion exile, holding his finger up. "As they would know you. They did build duplicates for the both of you as they did me. Let me gather all of the pieces here as Alastair has said and then we can look at the situation. If you were correct, Tegan is in danger. UNIT needs her and that is enough to alert the Daleks."  
  
Turlough puffed as he held the door open for the Doctor. "And do you think she will come with you?"  
  
"We can but try," the Doctor sighed, sliding into the small interior. As Turlough closed the door, he asked: "You can't take the TARDIS?"  
  
"No…no," the Doctor answered. "They have instruments that can 'feel' temporal movement. It would alert them to her and to us if done too often around an instrument such as that. Wait here with the Brigadier and find out what you can."  
  
Turlough nodded and slammed the door shut. As the Doctor started the engine, it started to rain harder.  
  
**  
  
Present time  
  
  
  
The Doctor rolled his hat and stuffed it quite decidedly into his pocket. He rolled his shoulders and let the water droplets slide from his coat. He could hear Tegan's breathing accommodating for her earlier tears, returning to normal. As she walked by him, her bare feet slapping against her now wet wood floor, he glanced at her.  
  
She was thinner than she had been when she had traveled in the TARDIS; her hair was longer, curling at her shoulders. She wore no make-up and her sweats were definitely a different ensemble than the leather skirt he had seen her leave with just six months previously. He had to remind himself of the date- it was four years for her since she had last seen him. There were obviously other differences, not the least of which was her new name. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask…a lot that he had not been able to find in the databank on the TARDIS before he left it…but he knew that there was no time. At least not here.  
  
"Doctor…" she drew, her accent as thick as ever. "This is a surprise to say the least. After four years…"  
  
"Three months and four days…" he offered, matter-of-factly.  
  
Her frown made his heart warm in remembrance. "I would have never thought that you would ever come back."  
  
"Why ever not?" he asked, turning to face her completely.  
  
Before she could open her mouth to answer him, he held up his hand and gave her a boyish smile. "I would love to continue this conversation, Tegan, but it will have to be away from here. Do you have your coat? The weather is rather chilly out there."  
  
Tegan shook her head, sending her brown curls flying. "What?!"  
  
"You need to come with me, Tegan." He bent at the waist and indicated the suitcases next to the door and the various boxes in the living room. "Were you planning a trip?"  
  
"I'm moving, Doc…" she bit out, half in shock, half in anger. "And I can't go anywhere with you…not now…not again."  
  
"Why not? You must," he answered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Is your husband here? He should come as well."  
  
"Doctor…" Tegan grunted.  
  
"No…well then leave him a note. Timothy, wasn't it? We have to be going."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?" the Doctor bent at his waist, and in the way that Tegan had always found condesending, stared her in the eye. "Tegan. We have to go. This is important. You and yours are in danger." He shook his head. "Contrary to what you think of me, Tegan, I would not charge back into your life and take you out of it again if it was not important."  
  
Tegan's face paled a little. Her breathing hitched. "Danger?"  
  
The Doctor's eyes softened and he nodded slowly. Tegan was reminded of the gentle look he had given her all those years ago as she had left him in the warehouse. An unfamiliar bubble of deep emotion welled up in her and she had to stifle equally unfamiliar tears. "I'm afraid so."  
  
A sudden shudder worked through Tegan and she heaved a breath. Then there was a familiar flare of anger in her eyes and her voice. "What is it with you, Doctor? Trouble and danger are all you ever tote around. Can't you just live a normal life?"  
  
"Tegan…" he began, but ended as the front door of her flat burst open.  
  
**  
  
  
  
"926 E. Hanover Lane, London, aye…that's the one…" Lindon crumpled the paper and threw it behind him. "Tegan Jones?"  
  
"She was a traveler with the Time Lord known as the Doctor when he interfered with the virus stash in the warehouse." Jameson answered.  
  
"The first failed invasion of the Master Race?" Lindon stated, not really requiring an answer.  
  
"Aye, that's the one." Jameson opened his car door. "Target lives alone…recently divorced. Orders are to remove the threat that she can identify us."  
  
Lindon sighed as he closed his car door and removed his gun from his jacket. "If she is alone, this should be quick and easy."  
  
Jameson shook his head. "Was your original in the mob? You are being a tad bit obvious, Lindon."  
  
With a wide smile and an adjustment to his suit jacket, Lindon gave a lively step up the stairs. When Jameson joined him at the door, he kicked out with his right foot and hit the door. It splintered inward.  
  
**  
  
Tegan screamed and recoiled back into the wall. She felt the world tighten, becoming harsh and hostile, like a tunnel. Suddenly her living room became a dark and dirty warehouse; it became a cave on Manussa; it became a freighter hurtling toward Earth; it became tens upon hundreds of worlds that she had seen. With a strangled cry, she tossed her head back. The terror was paralyzing.  
  
The Doctor pivoted, his coat tails flying wide. Without a spare breath, he reached behind him and grabbed Tegan by the hand, whipping her around him and pushing her toward the kitchen. "Go, Tegan! Run!"  
  
She took two stumbling steps toward the room, ducking and curling into a ball as she heard a shot behind her. Before she could completely stop, the Doctor was running into her back, pushing her ahead of him. He wrapped his hand around her arm and ran into the kitchen. Tegan looked behind her to see her letter table on its side and a pile of coats on top of it. As they rounded into the kitchen, he reached to pull down chairs and tables.  
  
From the front hall, there came a sound of a table breaking apart. Tegan whimpered again, trying to remove the Doctor's hand from her arm. He grunted, rocketing towards the back door. He bundled her through it bodily and went down the back steps in one long stride. "Not the most elegant way of getting away," he puffed, pulling her behind him. "But it will serve the purpose. Come on, Tegan…run!"  
  
He pulled her between two buildings, along an alley. Her bare feet splashed through the puddles and she was soaked through to the skin in seconds.  
  
The Doctor turned, reaching into his pocket at the same time. "How are men like wickets," he said, quietly. "Let me count the ways." Without looking, Tegan knew that he had palmed a cricket ball and it was thrown with the Time Lord's characteristic accuracy. One of the men tripped as it hit him in the shoulder. "I hate to do that. But it is a means to an end."  
  
As they broke through the alley and onto another road, he pulled her toward a small car. She didn't speak or fight as he packed her into the passenger seat and climbed into the driver's seat. The keys were produced and the car roared to life as the two men cleared into the street.  
  
"Down!" the Doctor called, pushing her head down toward his lap. She kept her eyes tightly squeezed shut as she felt the car accelerate and the sound of gunshots filled the air. Soon, they were speeding away from the scene, the Doctor shifting around her shoulders. She huddled, her face pressed against his knee, her shoulders tight and her knees drawn as far into her chest as she was able. She felt the car take two right hand hairpin turns and accelerate further. After several turns that she had been unable to recognize, she felt rather than saw darkness around the car.  
  
The Doctor hopped out of the car as he shut it off and she heard a door close. She squinted out the back window, and saw him wiping his hands on his trousers. He wore his boyish wide smile as he stuck his head in the door again.  
  
The smile faded quickly.  
  
"Tegan?"  
  
She stared at him, raising a hand to swipe at the tears that still fell from her eyes. It was hard for her to tell where the rain stopped and her tears began. Tegan was shaking, cold, and scared. The anxiety and fear that had been an overwhelming, often crippling influence in her life for the last four years had come to the surface again. The Doctor squinted at her and frowned.  
  
"What's the matter?" He reached a hand toward her and she shook her head violently, inching back toward the door. The Doctor dropped his hand and tilted his head to the side with a deep sadness peeking out of his eyes. "Oh Tegan."  
  
** 


	3. Anger

Turlough glanced over the papers that were laid out, quite meticulously in his estimation, on the table. His old maths teacher was bent over the table. The light from overhead was reflecting into his spectacles and Turlough was haunted of visions of his last exam. He also had visions of his little foray at stealing his man's last car. With a sigh, he lowered his eyes to stare at the papers.  
  
Something caught his eye and he moved about the table, coming to a rest next to the Brigadier. The small building where UNIT had taken up its residence was nearly empty and quiet. The Brigadier shook his head, disgruntled, and looked at his old student. "Turlough?"  
  
"Sir," the boy repeated, more out of habit than respect. The Brigadier grunted as Turlough raised his pale blue eyes to return his probing look. He pointed at the small listing of numbers and map coordinates. "The assassination attempts?"  
  
"And bombings," the old army man answered.  
  
"But they are all over the place. Paris…London…LA and Washington,…Ontario….and Athens?"  
  
"As well as New Delhi, Rome and Budapest," the Brigadier answered, leaning forward to draw a small line on the larger map. "If we had not heard or intercepted the transmissions, we would not have seen the connection."  
  
Turlough nodded, silently studying the map. He tapped his finger against his lips and pointed toward map. "And in what order did these all occur?"  
  
"What? Oh…randomly," the Brigadier answered, looking at the map.  
  
"Really?" Turlough answered. "One thing traveling with the Doctor has taught me, nothing occurs by chance or by lack of design."  
  
The Brigadier sighed, pressing his lips together. He nodded as another elder officer entered the room. "I suppose you will be on my back until I tell you….so…." he leaned into the map and disinterestedly pointed at the locations. "First New Delhi, then Athens, then Rome,Budapest, Paris, London, Ontario, Washington and finally, just this last week, LA."  
  
"And it doesn't bother you that they are moving in a westerly pattern?"  
  
"No." the Brigadier answered.  
  
"Then in a westerly and temporally pattern as well. Athens was the center of civilization before Rome…they are following a westerly and temporal pattern." Turlough answered, leaning into the table. "I'm not entirely sure of the temporal pattern though…because by all rights Moscow and Tokyo should have been…before….Europe….proper…" Turlough sighed. "The Doctor will have a better idea."  
  
"I wonder what is keeping him," the Brigadier groused. He looked at the clock. "For a Time Lord, he never did have a good understanding of schedule."  
  
**  
  
"We are safe here, Tegan."  
  
The Doctor was crouching, just outside the driver's side door. Tegan rested against the passenger seat, her chin resting on her chest and her arms around her legs. He leaned forward and placed his crossed arms on the seat and stared at her. Her breathing was normalizing; she wasn't hyperventilating anymore. With a sigh, he finally lowered his eyes. "Tegan?"  
  
She shrugged and averted her eyes from him.  
  
"I've never known you to be this quiet."  
  
"You haven't known me for quite some time," she answered back. The force in her voice made him smile. The old Tegan was there, just hiding.  
  
"Very true. But it was once said that good friends are never apart in spirit. And we were/are good friends, aren't we?"  
  
Tegan nodded once, curtly. She raised a hand to wipe the last of the tears from her cheeks. "I just seemed to have gotten out of the habit of nearly dying in the company of my good friends."  
  
"Yes, well…we all have our special abilities, and that seems to be mine." He rubbed his chin on his arm.  
  
"Too right."  
  
He nodded and rose, walking around the car to open her door. He held out his hand to help her up and she eyed it suspiciously before taking it. "Are you better, Tegan?"  
  
"If you mean, am I not nearly paralyzed and can breathe normally, yes. If you mean, do I feel normal…no." She said with some sarcasm.  
  
He took her spout in stride. "Do you have night terrors? Long periods of anxiety? Do certain sounds, visual stimuli cause distress?"  
  
"Yes, yes and sometimes," she answered, releasing his hand and walking away from him. "Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"I think it might be something like a post traumatic stress disorder, Tegan…from the symptoms and reaction you had just a few moments ago. I would like to talk to your therapist, however."  
  
"What therapist?"  
  
"How long has this been going on? Haven't you sought help?"  
  
"Where? And from who?" she asked, stopping, glaring at his back. "How would you propose that I get help? Waltz into a shrink and say: Hi…I've been bumming around the universe with my chum, a Time Lord, in his time and space machine. I seem to be having trouble sleeping, can't think, can't function… I wouldn't get any further…they would have me locked up in an institution so fast my head would spin."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Then answer how long, Tegan. You can do that can't you? Was it before or after you left me?"  
  
"What do you think?" she asked, loudly.  
  
The Doctor spun around, his arms flying wide. "I don't know…that is why I am asking you." His voice was as loud as hers. He waited a beat and then approached her. He stopped within feet of her. She wanted to shout at him; the look he was giving her was one that he reserved for problems he figured out. "It was before you left. That look on your face in the warehouse when you left was terror, not remorse or pain. It was pure terror." He didn't wait for an answer and bent to stare at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"How?" She stared back at him. After a moment, she shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. I just want to go home."  
  
"I can't take you home, Tegan."  
  
"I know that; don't you think I know that?" she was livid. "It seems as though that is ruined too. First my travels with you ruin my career, then my emotions, then my mind, marriage and now my home. It was just a matter of time before it bled through everything and made a total muck of it."  
  
"Tegan. Be reasonable. Please?" He opted for humor and said the words with a winning smile. She boiled, but at the last minute, caved, staring at him in disbelief coated in comfortable familiarity.  
  
"I hate that you can do that to me."  
  
"What? Win an argument with logic?" he continued to smile. She shook her head and lowered her eyes. His smile died quickly. "We need to talk about it, though, and we need to address what is going on with your emotional and mental distress. And all of this should be very soon, Tegan. But we are under pressure and under the UNIT headquarters…we should go upstairs. Do you need time?"  
  
He started to walk away again and stopped after a steps to glance at her. She stood where she was, wet, barefoot and shivering. She was looking at the stairwell tucked in the corner of the garage as though it would bite her. Her eyes met his. "I can't…just…"  
  
"You can do it, Tegan. I'll be with you. I'm not going to leave you; and I'm not going to let you leave me again until we get this sorted out…"  
  
She sighed, hoping to turn and run away into the rain, away from all of this. But looking at the Doc tor and his clear earnestness that she had missed seeing on another human's face these four years, she saw that maybe it was possible. There was nowhere to run. And no one to run to. With small steps and then with a few jogged steps, she stood next to her friend. He nodded and laid his hand at her back to lead her up the stairs. "Thank you," he said, for her ears only although they were alone in the garage.  
  
"For what?" she asked back, feeling the cold metal steps below her feet.  
  
"For not running," he said.  
  
"I'm scared." Tegan stared up the stairwell in all its metal inhuman structure. "And saying 'brave heart' won't help, you know," she confided. "I've been saying to myself everyday for four years and it hasn't helped."  
  
He frowned, looking stricken and pushed/led her up the stairs. As they rounded the first landing, he reached for her hand and led her the rest of the way.  
  
Tegan frowned at his back and allowed him to pull her up to the UNIT room.  
  
**  
  
The rain was clearing up as a black car pulled up in front of a simple residential house. Three men piled out, their black suits conspicuous in the casual atmosphere of suburbia. They walked up the small path, past two other men standing listlessly on the doorstop of one of the flats. Several minutes past before a loud series of gunshots were heard from within.  
  
One man reappeared; his companions called him Commander Reynolds. He nodded back into the house and walked down the path to the car. Pulling his suit back into shape, he lowered himself into the car. It sped away quickly. Minutes later, two body bags were carried from the house. One contained Lindon; the other Jameson.  
  
As the car sped away, Smith glanced over his shoulder. The body bags were glistening with newly fallen rain. He looked over at Reynolds. "They failed."  
  
"They not only failed; they lost her," Reynolds sighed. The old adage – 'if you want something done right, do it yourself' came to mind.  
  
With a frown, Smith looked down at the notebook he held in his lap. "And the Doctor?"  
  
"Has her and is with UNIT, obviously. I should have anticipated that," Reynolds shook his head. He appeared very weary as he rubbed his temple. "It really makes no matter. The woman has a history of instability and inability to act and cope."  
  
"It is no surprise…"  
  
"Yes," Reynolds nodded. "Travels in the fourth dimension by a society member as yet unable to comprehend space flight, beings from other planets, and generalized five dimensions in math would have an adverse effect on their mental well-being. We will continue with plans. Radio the air field and let them know we are on our way."  
  
"Yes, sir," Smith answered and reached for the cumbersome mobile phone. He began to dial the numbers.  
  
Reynolds glanced at his younger, more naïve companion. "I want the plane ready and the flight plan registered for LA…we don't need to leave a path to Tokyo…the Doctor will have a good guess already, why help him?"  
  
Smith nodded and said a series of incomprehensible words into the receiver. He covered it and replied: "But sir…we were going to Bejing…"  
  
"Change of plan. Flight to Tokyo then back to LA," he nearly smiled at the bewildered look on Smith's face. He laid a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Just do it."  
  
Smith nodded, recalling the sight of the body bags. With a clipped voice, he did as he was bidden.  
  
**  
  
Pendrall adjusted his white coat over his shoulders and stretched his arms over his head. One of the guards standing near him cleared his throat and gestured with his gun back to the microscope. Alfred groaned and bent back over the eyepiece with a grimace. His back was killing him and he needed coffee badly. And he was lonely; the equivalent of scarecrows with guns did not constitute company in his estimation.  
  
The door to the laboratory opened and a small woman in a white coat like his entered. It was long on her, covering her to knees. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun. It was almost comical the way that she carefully made her way across the room, two cups of coffee in her hands. "Here, Al…I didn't think the boys here would let you out for your daily dose of the bean."  
  
"My thanks, Penelope," his deep accented voice compared to her bland American accent was as different as his shock white hair was to her dark hair.  
  
"No problem, sir…" she sipped her cup and smiled and waved at the guard nearest them. The man ignored her. With a shrug, she leaned against the lab table. "What's new?"  
  
"This strain of virus," he pointed toward the microscope. He and she pointedly ignored the 'no food in the lab' sign daily so it did not bother him to lean back and sip from his mug as well. "It is like the viriods that I studied at Cambridge…"  
  
"Amoebic infectious agents? Your dissertation?"  
  
"You read it?" Alfred asked, surprised.  
  
"I always read the work of people that I am going to work with and for, Al…call it American paranoia." She put down her mug and leaned sideways to look in the eyepiece. The microscope showed Paramecium both infected, and non-infected. The infected side of the slide showed the organisms almost writhing, curling…in death throes. It was quick. As she watched, two cells were invaded, disabled from moving and reduced to lifeless, curled vacuoles of nothing. The cells on the other side were fine. She whistled lowly. "Would not want to invite these guys to a party. Terrible guests. But such virulence and pathogencity…killing the host that quickly…its evolutionarily not…well…smart."  
  
"No…it is not. And the funny thing," Alfred knocked back another swig of coffee and eyed his younger assistant. "Is that it has a genetic code that is decidedly different than anything I have ever seen. It is very short; Duncan in coding was able to decipher the code very quickly."  
  
Penny smiled. "But we are here to come up with a antidote to it, Al, not to write odes to it. I know you are enthralled, but…"  
  
"What was the first thing I told you when you started, Penny?"  
  
"That a bad penny always shows up?"  
  
"After that…"  
  
Penny sipped her coffee. "That the first step to beating a virus is the same as the first step at beating an opponent in chess. Understand the motivation and the plan…"  
  
"Correct. Why would it kill so quickly?"  
  
She shrugged; she had thought of that already. "It is not natural…anywhere. And with a weird genetic code…its been engineered."  
  
"Correct again. And how do you combat an engineered virus?"  
  
Penny crossed her arms over her chest. "Engineer something to counteract it. Modeled, hopefully, on an existing biological model."  
  
"Yes." Al drank the last of his coffee and handed his mug back to his young friend. He waved an impatient hand toward the twin microscope across the table "Now…make yourself useful, Pen, and sit down and make some drawings of the infected paramecium."  
  
Penny smiled and shook her head. As she settled onto the stool, she leaned into the table. "Al…but have you thought of the reason behind creating a virus like that in the first place?"  
  
"I can figure out viriods and viruses, Penny," he answered, not looking at her. "Men are much harder to even comprehend. Start drawing…"  
  
She sighed and rolled her shoulders, prepared for a long day in the lab. 


	4. The Plot Thickens

Tegan's eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness of the room. It was a large room, open and sparsely filled with one large table, several large computers and a few chairs. Her eyes passed over them quickly. The people commanded her attention rather than the furniture. The Brigadier and Turlough raised their eyes to the two friends as they entered the room.  
  
"Miss Jovanka!"  
  
"Tegan!"  
  
She rounded the Doctor. The Doctor, for his part, guessed that he was her touchstone at that moment and didn't pull away. He walked with her to the two men. Turlough pressed away from the table and reached out to embrace Tegan, as strange as it was for him to show that emotion. Tegan returned the embrace gently. "Turlough. Brigadier. It is good to see you."  
  
Turlough smiled. "And you, Tegan, believe it or not."  
  
"Nothing changes, does it?" Tegan asked, quietly leaning away from her old companion.  
  
The Doctor had passed the pair of friends and approached the table. He leaned into it, spreading his hands wide. "You have been busy, Brigadier."  
  
The Brigadier glanced at his old friend. "As have you."  
  
"Yes…well…I have been told I am the life of the party. We are here unhurt, however," he answered. "Now…what is this? The attacks?" He patted his coat down and pulled out his glasses. He glanced down his nose at the map.  
  
Turlough sided up and insinuated himself between the Doctor and the Brigadier. "The pattern is…"  
  
"Temporal," the Doctor stated. "Yes. I can see that…in a round about way. Los Angeles was the last attack? What of Honolulu or Tokyo?"  
  
The Brigadier shook his head. "Our intelligence network has no information on movement in either place."  
  
The Doctor leaned back and pressed his finger to his lips in thought. "I would hazard a guess that either Beijing or Toyko is next. Although I would not worry too much about the attacks, Brigadier; I would rather concentrate on what they are not doing in broad daylight. The attacks are a decoy."  
  
"A decoy by duplicates?" Tegan asked. Turlough turned and smiled at his friend. It was obvious her humor had not changed.  
  
"Exactly," the Doctor answered, seriously. "They are creating a pattern out of a deliberate design to put your attention elsewhere. " He tapped his lips. "In fact I would reckon that where they are basing their work will be where their absence is conspicuous. Their assassinations and bombings have been in large cities. I would hazard a guess that they are in the Southern hemisphere…for the most part…they have avoided it. And what is in the Southern Hemisphere?"  
  
"Australia," Tegan offered.  
  
"South America and Africa." Turlough stated, looking smugly at the Brigadier.  
  
"Correct." The Doctor sighed. "Quite a lot of land mass to cover. Brigadier…UNIT has laboratories in South America and Australia, yes?"  
  
The Brigadier shook his head with a wry grin. "Of course they do, Doctor. They have expanded on them since you visited them ten years ago."  
  
"And they have requested stores? The extraterrestrial stores…from UNIT…has either one asked for samples? Genetic, viral?"  
  
"Er…." The Brigadier snapped his fingers and an aide approached the table. "Wilson? Find out if any laboratory in Australia or South America has requested material from the stores."  
  
"But…" Turlough said, holding out his hand. "Doctor…what about the assassination attempts? They are causing instability in the governments."  
  
"True. But we would expend too much energy trying to find who they are and where they are going next to be able to stop them. It would be much more…concise to find their center of operation. We would " The Doctor swallowed. "And I would guess that the laboratory work is occurring at the same place as the center. Keep all the birds where they can see it and what have you."  
  
The aide entered back into the room. The Briadier snatched the paper and glanced over it. "Yes, Doctor, both laboratories requested the stores: the one outside of Sydney and the one in Brazil."  
  
He nodded. "Then it does appear as though we will have to split our resources."  
  
Tegan inhaled and sighed; she knew what was coming next. The Doctor did not disappoint her. "Turlough…you and the Brigadier will have to go to Brazil. Tegan…you and I…and some help, Brigadier…I will need two men at least…will have to go to Sydney."  
  
The Brigadier nodded and turned to the aide, asking for a phone. Tegan leaned into the table, crossing her arms over her chest. Turlough followed the Doctor as he walked across the room to look at detailed maps of both continents. As the elder man tapped his glasses against his chin and stared at the maps, his friend asked the question that had been burning in his mind: " But Doctor…the patterns…isn't there some reasoning behind them?"  
  
"Course there is," the Doctor answered. "There is always a reason; it's only unknown simply because we don't recognize it. They were moving in a westerly and temporal pattern. I saw your notes there on the side. Well done, by the way. But I think you will see that the more complex the puzzle, the more likely it is that the players were not even playing with the pieces. No, Turlough, the pattern is too contrived, too in depth to be a real sequence. It is a decoy."  
  
Turlough glanced back at Tegan. The woman was looking at the two of them. "And splitting us up? I don't know a lot about microbiology, Doctor."  
  
"You know a sight more about it than the Brigadier. And no arguments, Turlough, about traveling with the Brigadier. I promised Tegan her safety personally. I will travel with her."  
  
"Can we take the TARDIS this time?"  
  
"Unfortunately, no. To move the TARDIS would be to alert them as to where we are."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Cheer up, Turlough. At least you will have quality time with the Brigadier."  
  
"I hate Time Lord humor," Turlough muttered as the Doctor walked back to the table.  
  
**  
  
Penny stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders. She often felt at home by the microscope, but the long hours of work in the last week had taken its toll. Al had gone to make another pot of coffee and she was sketching the last of the infected paramecium.  
  
"I'm actually very happy about that," she muttered aloud. "Thank God for small favors."  
  
As she finished, she rose and walked around the table to get the kinks out. When Al returned, they would compare the drawn pictures and the electron microscope scans of the best specimens. In the morning, they would begin to discuss, with the rest of the team, what possible recourse they had for an agent to fight the virus.  
  
"Such a strange thing," she sighed. She saw Al's notes and leaned into the table, moving aside his glasses and a coffee cup with a substantial amount of growth.  
  
"Your curiosity will get you in trouble someday, Pen," Al called from the door. He walked forward with his hand outstretched. Her mug was handed to her quickly.  
  
"But not today," she answered, removing her own glasses. "You are planning on infecting other microbes?"  
  
"Of course," he answered. "I have a feeling that this virus will cause disease in more than one genus and species. Tomorrow will tell soon enough."  
  
She nodded. "Tomorrow, then. Do you need me for anything else tonight?"  
  
"Unless you want to join my wife and I for dinner…"  
  
"Thanks, no." Penny shrugged out of her coat and laid it over the chair. As she walked to the door, she called out. "Oh…and I took a message, Al…about some bigwig in UNIT…they are coming in…tomorrow."  
  
"Wonderful." He laughed. "Get home with you and I'll see you later."  
  
**  
  
  
  
12986097423.986234-0.8972  
  
All Glory to the Supreme Dalek  
  
The plan is to continue. Genetic experimentation must be completed with all haste. Disruption of Earth Government must continue. All man power to be concentrated on the testing. Centralization and consolidation is of the upmost importance.  
  
Nothing will interfere with the grand plan of the Daleks. The Earth will be destroyed. Its place as a temporal nexus will be eliminated. Invasion will continue as planned. Failure will be rewarded with death.  
  
**  
  
1298659817.9871357-09987  
  
Message received and understood. Mission acknowledged. Virus investigation continuing. It will be completed on schedule. Disposable help has been acquired. Assininations planned in Toyko, and the uprisings in Bejing will continue as planned.  
  
All praise to the supreme Dalek.  
  
**  
  
Reynolds grimaced as he stepped off the plane into the dead heat of LA in June. Smith, as he exited behind him, grunted. The briefcases and notebooks that the younger man carried seemed to bog him down, but he kept pace with his superior. As he rolled his eyes, Reynolds stared back at his assistant.  
  
"Well come on, Smith…we have a plane to catch…" Reynolds nodded to his American liason and grinned at the army plane that had been designated for his use while within the United States. A man similar to Smith was waiting for them at the ramp. The man, named Oliver, if he recalled correctly, was an aide to the Undersecretary of the Interior. Pleasant chap, Reynolds thought, as he impersonally glanced over the man: tall, young and blond. Just out of college, he concluded. Oliver was so by the book, even down to his polished shoes and slicked hair that Reyholds fought the urge to salute.  
  
"Sir…" John Oliver nodded to the approaching British government official.  
  
"Mr. Oliver, correct?" Reynolds stopped to glance at the airplane behind his American counterpart.  
  
"That is correct, sir…the transport that you requested is ready and at your disposal, sir. I am under orders to do as you require as part of the Allied act of 1981."  
  
Reynolds squinted up into the harsh sunlight of the Californian noon and at the large plane behind Oliver. "And you are to accompany me?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Then we had better be on our way," Reynolds stated, quietly and walked past the man. Oliver turned and watched him walk up the stairway to the plane.  
  
"And where am I to give orders to travel to, sir?" Oliver said, running up the stairs in tandem with Smith.  
  
"Brazil."  
  
Oliver stopped dead on the stairs and stared as Reynolds entered the plane. Smith pressed past the man. As he prepared to enter the plane as well, he turned to address John. "Coming?"  
  
  
  
**  
  
Dalek technology, driven by an eon of single-minded militaristic conquest, was an awesome sight to virtually every race in the galaxy. And those races included Time Lords, if the truth be told. The race of the Kaleds in their mutated form encased in their transport casings had become an evolutionary technological history lesson of success, as well as an unbeatable foe. For although they were so beautifully advanced, they were, for lack of a better word, evil.  
  
It seemed to most races that for emotionless creatures, the Daleks had become decidedly egotistic. This egotistical attitude had become as legendary as their lust for extermination and supremacy. Therefore, in response to the infiltration and profound impact of the Movelian virus to the Dalek war machine and its ability to render Daleks dead, equally legendary tales had arisen in the galaxy about their downfall.  
  
But like a phoenix, the Daleks had arisen from the ashes of their ruin to return.  
  
In their first attempt, they had tried to invade Earth, a temporal nexus primary point. Unfortunately for them, the Doctor had been there as had his companions. The release of the Movelian virus on both the ship where experiments had been ongoing to find a cure and on Earth had foiled their first attempt.  
  
In this, the second attempt to invade or destroy Earth, the Daleks had a new plan: they were trying to find a cure where the virus was instead of bringing the plague unto themselves. At the same time, they weakened their enemies, actively trying to undermine their governments…and at a time when humans had yet to learn to work together against a common enemy. Therefore, they could invade without fear of the disease to an already weakened Earth and confused populace.  
  
They would not fail.  
  
The Dalek ship sat in deep space, off of Sector 17, seated at the far center on a tridimensional axis from the center of the Milky Way. It was huge, vast…a city without a populace. Ultimate silence reigned. Only the tuts and clicks of the mechanics that powered the beings could be heard. Voice was unnecessary. In some ways, these evil harbingers acted as a large insect colony with the Supreme Dalek seated at the center like a queen ant. The ship itself was a marvel, almost beautiful in an Ares-lover sort of way.  
  
The bridge was the only section of the ship where voice was used. The Supreme Dalek, its black and silver casing scored from battles, sat at the very center.  
  
"Current status of the Time Corridor," It ordered.  
  
"Stable, but weak…order of magnitude 2 of a maximum 6." Came the answer, a human voice amidst the electronically generated voices of the Daleks.  
  
"Maintenance of the corridor is primary to the success of our mission. Diversion of necessary Daleks to energy systems will commence."  
  
"It has been done. Power is redirected to the strengthening and maintenance of the corridor. Energy drain on the secondary systems will decrease life support below optimum in 50% of the ship."  
  
"Duplicates are disposable."  
  
"Duplicates are necessary to the completion of the objective. Davros is necessary."  
  
"Relocate Davros and duplicates to the primary section of the ship."  
  
The human sighed and nodded. "The Supreme Dalek is to be obeyed."  
  
"Daleks outfitted with the improved movement systems are to be made ready for the invasion force."  
  
"As ordered."  
  
"The Earth will be exterminated." 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of BBC. No money is made…and these people are definitely not mine.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor slid into his seat in business class and glanced over at Tegan. She was nestled, comfortably, in his estimation, into the window seat. Her brown eyes met his and he attempted a smile. He spied her tennis sneakers lying in a pile under the seat in front of her and noticed her bare feet tucked under her seat. "Comfortable?"  
  
"I'm used to this kind of travel now, Doc…" she answered, staring out the window. After a few minutes, she turned and met his eyes again. "But the question is: are you?"  
  
"Used to this type of travel? No." The Doctor nodded and adjusted his coat. He looked a tad uncomfortable to her. "After five hundred years of being the captain of my own ship, it is rather hard to let the reins go so to speak. And it is slower. Sometimes I wish your race was a little more technologically advanced. "  
  
She sighed. "Are you sure you didn't want to take the TARDIS?"  
  
"No…no.." he answered, adjusting his seatbelt. "No…if there are duplicates here in contact with the Daleks, they could and possible do, have the technology to trace temporal disturbance in the Matrix. They will know where we are, before we can get there. You know, I always wondered if it would be possible to mask the path of a TARDIS in the Matrix. I never had time to investigate it properly."  
  
Tegan rolled her eyes. "A Time Lord and you never have time, why does that not surprise me?"  
  
The Doctor sighed and shook his head as a stewardess passed them with a cart of drinks. "You know how it was, Tegan…it hasn't changed all that much. Doing this, doing that…going to and fro…"  
  
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "But you told me once that the only beings in the universe that had the ability to use and track completely…the path of a TARDIS…in the Matrix were the Time Lords. That hasn't changed has it? So…what you are saying…" she held out her hand as if she were offering a gift. "Is that the Daleks could only track dematerialization or rematerialization and not the actual trip."  
  
"That is very good, Tegan," the Doctor sat forward and stared at his friend. "You never cease to surprise me."  
  
"Because I actually listened to you…once?" she joked. "It's simple if you know how the TARDIS sort of works and can put it with what you said."  
  
He nodded and stretched out his legs. She could tell from his face that he was longing for his hat to tip it forward over his eyes. She tapped his shoulder and he rose quickly, allowing her to slide out into the aisle. She needed to move around. The flight was a long one. When she returned, he was sitting, his hands folded, his fingers against his lips, staring in the middle distance.  
  
She stepped over his legs and sank into the seat with a sigh. "You are worried about the Daleks and the Brigadier and Turlough, aren't you?"  
  
"I have every reason to be worried about the Daleks, Tegan. I have been dealing with them for more than 300 years, you know."  
  
"But if we can find the duplicates…or their base of operation…and deal with it…then…"  
  
"Then that is only the beginning. If we leave the virus as it is, it is a barrier, but not an impassable one, mind you. They will be working on a vaccine or cure, I expect. The Daleks will not give up. The Earth in the late twentieth century was/is one of the most vulnerable and dangerous times for an invasion. You are technologically advanced enough to be a jewel in the rough and yet are so disorganized as a race that it allows for the back and front doors to stand wide open. If they are undermining your governments, they are opening up at least two different invasion strategies that I can see. Possibly a third. By finding the virus experimentation center, we are finding their base, but not all of the duplicates. And before you ask, Tegan, if we disable the center of operation, we will disable the source of direction for the duplicates. And, finally, we will not be finding the Daleks themselves. I will have to follow the time corridor back to the ship or base, I suppose. Again, finding the Daleks will be easier than finding the duplicates."  
  
"But the corridor…" Tegan leaned back into the seat. She was getting a headache.  
  
"Is not strong enough for them to use it to travel. Not yet. But they are using it to contact here. That is what the Brigadier is intercepting. You know how a radio works, Tegan. The wavelengths are very short; they are perfect for traveling in a time vortex. You see…the time vortex is…well…" he held out his hands. "It works on a level of Newtonian calculus on five axes. It is hard to properly describe the angle, but the trajectory…"  
  
Tegan groaned and rubbed at her temples. The Doctor sighed. "Oh dear. Listen, it works like an Earth blender, Tegan. If something very small and light is placed at the very center of the blender, it has the possibility of escaping the blades. That is what is happening to the radio waves. They are small and can fit down a very weak time corridor unscathed."  
  
"Okay…I understand that," she answered. "But you did bring the TARDIS along…"  
  
"Course I did. I am a Time Lord. Being caught without my TARDIS is like being caught without my shirt."  
  
Tegan grimaced. She lapsed into silence as the food cart came down the aisle and they were given their food. It was not until hours later that the conversation continued. At that point the plane was dark. She had left the Doctor to his thoughts, his plans and had promptly fallen into an emotionally drained sleep. She was thankful that her usual dreams of terror did not fill her mind. But she found herself jumping awake some hours later.  
  
The Doctor had put a blanket over her and she had drifted in her sleep until her head was lulling on his shoulder. When she jumped awake, his voice questioned quietly. "Dreams?"  
  
"No," she answered back, her eyes wide. "Just strange feelings. No terror…"  
  
"And you had a few hours of peaceful sleep. It will do you a world of good." He commented just as lowly.  
  
She sat up completely and began to move away, embarrassed. "At least I am not in a cold sweat and screaming. That is how I have been waking up with regularity, you know. And forgive my sleeping on your shoulder…"  
  
"It was nothing, Tegan, nothing to forgive."  
  
Tegan gave a half-smile. "I guess it was just having someone near me when I was sleeping again."  
  
The Doctor adjusted his sweater and the coat that he had laid over his chest. "Timothy? You mentioned that your marriage had…"  
  
"Ended with a zap…" she answered. The look on her face was so troubled, that he attempted to change the subject.  
  
"We are six hours out of Sydney…"  
  
"Your curiosity will get you into trouble one day. I know what you want to know, Doc. And it is all right…I suppose….you will understand it better than any of the so-called friends that I have now. The divorce was final last month. We have been separated for six months. We were married for a total of sixteen months."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why divorced?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"He couldn't take the yelling and screaming at night…the dreams…the days I couldn't leave the house because of the anxiety…the pain…and the fact that I couldn't talk about three years of my life."  
  
"Ah yes…our travels…"  
  
"Look. I take it back…" she shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to talk about the marriage…"  
  
"Were you happy?"  
  
She stopped and looked over at him. He was resting back against the seat, his eyes half-open. "When we first got married? Yes…I suppose…"  
  
"You deserved it, Tegan. I'm glad."  
  
Her mouth opened and shut for a moment and then she relaxed back against the seat, still staring at him. "Hell's teeth, Doc. I thought I knew you."  
  
"It surprises you that I am glad for your happiness?"  
  
"Yes," she nodded and sighed. She was getting angry. "I wouldn't have thought my happiness would have crossed your mind at all."  
  
"It did," he answered, appearing hurt. "After you left Turlough and I, I had hoped that you would be happy and find…direction…in your life. I had hoped that our travels would not have a lasting detrimental affect on you."  
  
"You were wrong."  
  
"I would have stayed or taken you elsewhere…to your family or friends, Tegan. I didn't know."  
  
"For a observation crazed scientist, Doc, you certainly missed the damned main point," she bit out. "And after watching you for years, why do you think I would think that you would take time out to take me on a mental vacation. It certainly is not like saving the universe."  
  
"What is the use of saving a cosmos if you can't help a friend? Hmm?" he answered back, strongly. "I would have helped you. I did before…your visit to Little Hodcolm comes to mind."  
  
"You did that so I wouldn't leave you. You do things so that you will not be alone. You can't stand to be alone."  
  
"I don't want to argue, Tegan."  
  
"Bloody hell," she muttered, turning quickly to stare out the window at the Southern Hemisphere night. "Four years and you are still as patronizing as ever."  
  
"I have traveled alone, Tegan, for spans of more years than you have been alive. I will admit that I wanted you to remain with me. And I am not patronizing."  
  
She sighed and frowned. "Do you know what it is like? Do you ever feel afraid, bound, unable to do anything? In the three years I traveled with you, I lost a friend, an aunt, I was possessed…twice, I had Eternals burrowing through my mind, and I saw death and destruction on a cosmic scale. Everywhere we went, there was nothing but pain and anger and enemies and…"  
  
"The Eye of Orion," he muttered. "The Christmas Day we spent in Kent?"  
  
"Those were rarities. Not the run of the mill, Doctor."  
  
"You wanted to travel with me that second time, Tegan," he pointed out.  
  
"I did. I missed you and Nyssa dreadfully. I thought that the friendships were strong enough to get me through anything. I thought I was strong enough to get through anything. Fool me, after I left you four years ago, if you had turned up anytime in that first year, I would have asked to come back. I missed you and Turlough just as much as I did you and Nyssa." Her frown became comical. "I would have asked and I probably would have regretted it. I am definitely not strong enough to travel with you. I'm just a mouth on legs."  
  
"I have missed you as well," he stated, quietly. "After all, the TARDIS is rather quiet with you gone."  
  
"Bugger," she sputtered and pulled her feet up to the seat.  
  
"And empty," he admitted, kindly. The Doctor nodded down to her blanket and leaned forward to stare at her face. "Lie back and go back to sleep, Tegan. There is nothing more that we can talk about tonight, I suspect. I have a feeling the anger will take over and both you and I will say something uncalled for."  
  
"We are famous for that, aren't we?"  
  
"Quite. Sleep will help your mental state. And trust me, I have a feeling you will be all right."  
  
"How do you know?" she demanded.  
  
"I'm the Doctor," he answered with a rueful smile.  
  
Several minutes went by and he was happy to hear her breath evening out. She was asleep. After an equally long period, she sighed and turned toward him, her hand and cheek landing on his shoulder.  
  
"Very well, Tegan. If you take comfort in my presence, so be it. I'll put aside my separatist notions for now. Pleasant dreams, brave heart. It was my fault you are as pained as you are," he whispered and then he too leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes.  
  
**  
  
"Is that it?"  
  
"Hmm? Yes, I suppose it is," the Doctor leaned over the front seat of the taxi and gestured ahead of the car. The driver glanced back over his shoulder at the tall man and his assistant. The girl looked barely over twenty-five; the man seemed near thirty; they seemed more like friends than coworkers. But in all the years that Sgt. Miller had been driving for UNIT, he had learned that appearances were deceptive. "Sgt. Miller? The UNIT base, I gather?"  
  
"Quite, Doctor Smith," Sgt. Miller answered with a grin. "You say you were here ten years ago? The base is a tad different now…but it is still the center of operation for Australia and the Greater Pacific Rim."  
  
The Doctor nodded. Tegan leaned forward to glance out the windshield. "I've been to Sydney once a year every year of my life; I never knew that lot was here."  
  
"It always helps to open your eyes, Tegan," the Doctor joked and leaned back into the seat.  
  
"Don't you think it is dangerous: just waltzing in like this, Doctor?" Tegan asked, her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"And the laboratory center?" the Doctor asked, ignoring Tegan's agitation. She grumbled and stared out the window. Sgt. Miller parked the car and leapt out to open Tegan's. "There is no reason to hide, Tegan. They would have guessed by now that we would be traveling to the lab."  
  
"Then how…" Tegan sighed and allowed herself to be helped out of the car.  
  
"Hiding in plain sight. They might know where we are, but not what we are about," he answered as he came around the car and leaned into his friend. "I rather like playing to an audience."  
  
"That never changes," Tegan grumbled.  
  
"World without end, amen?" the Doctor offered. She shook her head in exasperation. His hand landed against the small of her back and escorted her across the small urban compound. "Smile, Tegan. Use some of that charm I know you have. And tell me if you think you see a duplicate; that will be a beacon of sorts."  
  
"And if I see one and they have ray guns…" she sighed as he rolled his eyes,"…or weapons of some sort?"  
  
"I would advice holding your hands up," he said, adjusting his hat over his eyes.  
  
"Doc…"  
  
"Or run…watch and take your cue from me. We used to work well together, Tegan."  
  
She shook her head. "I'm not sure I can work at all now."  
  
**  
  
Turlough grimaced, waiting in vain for the Brigadier to complete his military greetings, salutings and hellos to various bigwigs and officers. In the heat of the Brazilian rain forest, his school blazer felt constricting. He wanted to peel it off, but assumed that the aging military officer encompassed in the Brigadier would have a coniption fit. He pulled on the tie instead, loosening it.  
  
Around him, the jungle grew thick and heavy, the undergrowth, leaves and branches completely obscuring the ground. It seemed primeval to him, like the swamp from which it was fabled the life of this planet began. That was why it seemed almost comical to see a state of the art laboratory in the small compound.  
  
They had entered the small compound an hour earlier, having not stopped anywhere to get sleep. Both men were jetlagged to the point of silliness, but had trudged on. Their small bags had been taken and placed in a small cabin and they had been shown to a small central building, an administration headquarters where the head brass of the compound had been shown in and presented to them.  
  
The Brigadier was quite pleased with the reception. Turlough felt quite naked this far removed from TARDIS.  
  
"Turlough, boy, come over here."  
  
Turlough reached, innately, to tighten his necktie and approached the Brigadier.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Turlough rolled his eyes. The Brigadier pointedly ignored the comment and led Turlough over to two white coat clad people. As Turlough neared, he noticed that the woman was about his age and the man could have been her grandfather.  
  
"This is Al Pendrall and Penny Smith, Turlough. They working on a virus that I think the Doctor would be very interested to know about."  
  
Turlough gasped. "The virus…its here?"  
  
"Are you a microbiologist?"  
  
"I have an understanding of xenomicrobiology, yes," Turlough answered. "But the Doctor has the real mastery of it."  
  
"The Doctor? A scientist? From Oxford? Cambridge? Would it be John Smith?"  
  
The Brigadier blinked. "I believe he may have a degree from Cambridge."  
  
Penny elbowed her mentor. "Ease off, Al. No one is going to try and step in here."  
  
"Heavens, no, Penny. I have read his treatise on xenobiology when the stores in UNIT were first released for work. The man is a genius." Al's face broke into a wide smile. "I remember him well. Met him at a convention. Tall chap, curly gray hair, liked to wear an opera cape…"  
  
"Good heavens," the Brigadier sighed. "That one has been gone for ages."  
  
"Pardon?" Al asked.  
  
Turlough headed the conversation off. "Look, I appreciate that you know the Doctor. He seems to know everyone. Brigadier, I think we should try and get ahold of the Doctor."  
  
The Brigadier nodded. "Dr. Pendrall, if you would be so kind as to show me to your phone, I believe I need to call our Doctor John Smith."  
  
As the group turned to walk back across the compound to the main administrative building, a man stepped out and lowered a rifle at them. The Brigadier puffed out his chest, but since he was at the lab as a diplomatic envoy, he was not carrying a gun as well. Penny squinted at the solider and sighed. "James…would you put that thing away. They have full clearance through UNIT."  
  
James adjusted the rifle tighter against his body and shook his head. "They are the enemies."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous…" Penny began, but Al laid his hand on her arm to quiet her. Turlough turned to the younger woman and slowly shook his head.  
  
"I think that to them we are an enemy."  
  
The Brigadier leaned back and nodded to the man. "Turlough…is he a duplicate?"  
  
Turlough sighed. "Without a doubt, Brigadier." 


	6. It never changes

Turlough sighed and looked heavenwards. He tried to remember the last time that he had been not held up, beaten up, tousled about or thumped royally when he first met someone. After a breath, he realized that it had been before he had begun to travel with the Doctor. Sometimes he wondered if going back to Trion might be safer that this lifestyle. But then again, he didn't know how it would differ from the type of lifestyle that he was living now. After all, guns, whether laser, pulse or gunpowder, all looked the same if you were seeing them from the barrel end.  
  
For instance, he thought, the look of this gun was just as unfriendly as any of the others he had seen. The Brigadier bustled next to him and gruffed a bit. Turlough offered him a glance and shook his head. "I wouldn't…sir," he pressed.  
  
"Always were a coward, boy," he commented back, lowering his hands to tug at his jacket.  
  
"No, sir…I can count. There are five of us, if the driver can be trusted. There are at least 20 of them that I can see and the guns count double points. We are well and truly outnumbered…sir."  
  
The Brigadier put his hands back up in the air as a guard waved at his gun at him. "Right. I agree with you, Turlough."  
  
Penny stepped forward, her chin defiantly held high. She sidled up to Turlough. "You know what's wrong with them? I mean, that's Steve Gallow. I know him…had coffee with him this morning. He would never point a gun at me."  
  
"But his duplicate would," Turlough stated, rolling his eyes to Penny. "Have you noticed anything strange about him lately?"  
  
"Meaning?" Penny stepped back, half behind the man. Al stepped forward to the Brigadier.  
  
"Meaning…has he been less personable? Has he been having normal emotional responses to things…or none at all?"  
  
Penny closed her eyes. "If you mean…has he lost his great sense of humor. Yes."  
  
Turlough nodded. "I thought so…duplicates are very lacking in their social skills, I'm afraid. So that…and the fact that we have guns pointed in our faces gave the game away."  
  
The Brigadier cleared his throat, but before he could speak, a soldier, his insignia depicting his Captain rank, step forward. "Enough. You are to come with us."  
  
"They all say that," Turlough sighed. He stepped back to allow the Brigadier and Al to walk ahead of him, but lowered his hand to escort Penny, keeping even with her. "I wonder if the enemies in these adventures will ever get a better script." He muttered.  
  
**  
  
Tegan stood in the lobby of the building. She felt out of place in her jeans and sweatshirt. But, she mused, turning around to look out the gorgeous floor to ceiling glass panels, she probably was more in style than the Doctor. After all, he was in his cricketer's sweater, striped trousers and that hideous cream coat that she associated with him. Her smile that had edged on her face disappeared quickly. It hit her that she had bought a long cream-colored rain coat just a couple of months previous. She hadn't thought anything at the time, but as the Doctor finished his conversation and turned toward her, she wondered if she had bought it because it was the color that she associated with him. With his coat. Had she been missing him even then? Even with her marriage falling apart and her mind and emotions in shambles?  
  
He smiled as he drew closer. "Well, Tegan," he said enthusiastically. "You are the one with the expertise in this area. I just got us a tour of the lab facility. You can act as the investigator…tell me if any of the scientists are duplicates."  
  
She shook her head. "Doctor…"  
  
"It will be quite all right, Tegan," he said, bending at his waist to look her square in the eye. "When have I ever led you into danger…"  
  
Tegan opened her mouth, not allowing him to finish. "Do you want an alphabetical listing, Doc?"  
  
"Knowingly led you into danger, Tegan…and how many times did I tell you stay in the TARDIS and you disregarded that order?" he said, not unkindly. His eyebrows rose, arcing over his eyes.  
  
"You would have died some of those times," Tegan countered back. He escorted her to the desk where they picked up ID cards. "You always were my responsibility."  
  
"And you definitely took that responsibility to heart," he acknowledged. "Thank you…" he told the receptionist. "Just pin it to you lapel, Tegan. And trust me, Tegan, please."  
  
She sighed and followed the Doctor as he strolled down the corridor and into the first laboratory. He smiled, puffed his chest out. "How do you do? I'm the…" he stopped as he saw that despite his entrance, the occupants of the lab were completely engrossed in a computer program. He hummed and slipped his hands into his pockets. Tegan only gave him a moment before she walked towards the computer terminals. She had seen these small 286 models before.  
  
"Excuse me?" she asked, her voice softened.  
  
One of the scientists glanced up at her and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Oh…' he squinted at her ID pass. "You're one of the investigators from UNIT?"  
  
"Yes," she offered with a smile. The Doctor stepped up and around her, glancing over at the screen. Soon, he too took out his glasses and leaned to look more closely at the computer. With a nod, he muttered. "Interesting."  
  
Tegan sighed, but walked around the bank of screens to see. To her, what was on the screen was just scrolling mathematical script. She had seen the Doctor's Gallifreyan handwriting before, and this looked just like it. She tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "Is that Gallifreyan? Are they receiving transmissions?"  
  
"What?" he asked, absently. "Gallifreyan? No, Tegan, that's modern Calculus. Gallifreyan was derived from calculus, though." He looked shocked for a moment. "Did I teach you how to read Gallifreyan?"  
  
"A little," Tegan said, shutting her eyes as the scrolling text made her eyes water. "I know how to write your name and mine…but how it relates to this…makes no sense to me."  
  
"I'm afraid that has no relevance here, Tegan. Now…do be quiet and let me see what is going on…" The Doctor leaned forward to tap on the shoulder the scientist who had spoken earlier. "Is that a DNA model and sequence?"  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Hmmm…seems to be a virus, or viriod…possibly looks as though it infects ameobiod organisms."  
  
The scientists stopped and glanced back at him. He swallowed and nodded. "Yes, it has to be an ameoboid infectious agent…the arginine at the end…"  
  
Tegan groaned and sighed. "You are showing off again, Doc."  
  
"That is absolutely correct," one of the scientists hopped to his feet and held out his hand. "I'm John, John Tinholi and you are?"  
  
"The Doctor," the Doctor answered. "Tell me…" he continued, ignoring the surprised look on the man's face. "…are you doing the work on the virus here?"  
  
"No…this was the work that my peer was working on…Al Pendrall. He sent this disk; we got it with today's mail."  
  
The Doctor whipped off his glasses and squinted at the scientist. "Pendrall from Cambridge? Good heavens…and where is he currently doing his work?"  
  
"Brazil."  
  
The Doctor spun on his heel and stared at Tegan for a moment before charging across the room and by her. As he passed, he said: "We are in the wrong hemisphere, Tegan…"  
  
"The wrong…" Tegan gaped after him. She quickly said goodbye to the men and ran after the Doctor.  
  
**  
  
Tegan was still out of breath when she caught up with the Doctor. Apparently, he had had the TARDIS brought to the compound, for it was sitting in the center of the main lobby. "The wrong hemisphere, Doctor?"  
  
"The duplicate headquarters is where the virus is, yes? That was what we both decided, wasn't it? What you saw on the monitor in there was the DNA structure and protein constituents of a virus that was not meant to be here. Virus evolve with their hosts. Currently there is nothing on this planet that would be a proper host for that. It was engineered for non- Terran lifeforms."  
  
"Daleks?" she asked as the Doctor pulled out the key to the TARDIS.  
  
"Daleks," he answered. With a turn of his wrist, the door to the old police box opened. Tegan glanced past him into the dark recesses of the errant time machine. To her the darkness that had always greeted her through the doors was the darkness of immensity. Although the Doctor had, repeatedly, explained that it was the darkness of vision impairment of walking across a dimensional bridge into the TARDIS interior. But this time, it was neither. A darkness reached out to her from her past and tried to swallow her. Bittersweet. Most of her great experiences occurred with this object, with this man; most of her worst, most of the most rotten times had occurred as well, in equal measure.  
  
But it was the rotten, scared, hideous times surrounded by death, possession and pain, that woke her nights in a cold sweat, screaming, clutching at pillows, friends, lovers and husband crying out to the one man that would help her and never could.  
  
She took a step back as the Doctor edged forward into the interior. She saw his cream coat disappear, his blond hair too. Swallowed. But she was rooted to the spot.  
  
He reappeared seconds later, hanging out of the door, leaning, holding his hand out to her. "There is nothing to be afraid of, Tegan." The Doctor walked the several feet to her with an easy gait. "I said those words to you a long time ago, when you couldn't hear me, you know. At the cave on…"  
  
"Manussa," Tegan finished the sentence for him.  
  
He nodded. "And there wasn't…"  
  
"I was possessed."  
  
"Your physical body would have been protected while I helped with your mental invader, Tegan. There truly was nothing to be physically scared of there." He flicked his finger at the end of her nose in a friendly move from days gone by. Then he sighed and took one of her hands and slipped his arm around her waist as he escorted her toward the TARDIS. "And there is nothing to be scared of now. It is simply the TARDIS."  
  
"I'm feeling cold all over."  
  
"Stress, pain…there is nothing here…it is only your past…"  
  
"It feels like my present…leave me here…"  
  
"No. You are coming with me. I won't leave you here, Tegan. I'm not going to leave you until we can get your mind on track. It is feeding you images from the past to cripple your present. You made some pretty formidable coping mechanisms for the stress that you were under, the trauma, but I am going to have to help you overcome that. They worked well when you were in the situations, but you are out of them…the coping mechanisms…the flight or fight response…is not necessary. It isn't, Tegan."  
  
His arm tightened as they neared the door. Then he released her, letting his hand only rest at her back.  
  
"Like the proverbial leading the horse to water, Tegan, I can't force you to drink. You crossing the threshold will have to be your own choice. And if you do cross it, it is only a first step on a very long journey. But I will be right behind you. I believe the saying is: "I have your back.""  
  
She stopped and stared. She could see the light around the console, looking very much the same as it had when she left. The pressure of his hand on her back was reassuring; he would allow her to run if she chose. "You promise, Doctor?"  
  
"Brave heart, Tegan."  
  
Taking a deep breath, trying to control her urge to run and hide, squeezing her hands into fists, fighting the waves of nausea and cold sweat, she stepped forward. As the TARDIS welcomed her, she heard the Doctor sigh in thankfulness and felt his reassuring squeeze to her hand as he took it again.  
  
With her eyes closed, she remarked: "If you leave me for one minute, Doctor, I reserve the right to track you down and make your life miserable."  
  
"I won't."  
  
"You will get me through this? You'll help me, really?"  
  
"Tegan. Tegan. Tegan."  
  
She opened her eyes expecting to see him shaking his head in exasperation, but he gave her his patented little boy smile. As she crossed her arms over chest to yell at him, he said: "You know…I think Turlough is right…this TARDIS is not the same without you."  
  
He closed the door with a decisive wrist flick and set the coordinates. Soon, very soon, the rotor at the center of the console began to move and Tegan had the incredible feeling of past, present and future of self colliding within her.  
  
**  
  
Penny strolled to the window and then back again. Turlough crossed his legs to avoid her for the tenth time. "You know, pacing won't help the situation."  
  
"But it keeps me busy."  
  
"He's right," Al offered, moving aside on the bench to allow his assistant to sit down.  
  
"I don't like being held at gunpoint," she said, quietly as she sat down, looking dejected.  
  
"You get used to it," Turlough muttered sarcastically.  
  
"And where did they take the Brigadier?"  
  
Turlough grunted. "I think I know…and it isn't the best answer."  
  
Al rolled his eyes, holding his hands wide. "And being held in a 4 by 8 storage room with one window is a better one?"  
  
With a head that felt like it weighed a ton, Turlough lifted his head to gaze tiredly at Al. "Those men that held us up were not themselves; you were right, Penny. They were duplicates. These Dalek's make duplicates to infiltrate and overwhelm governments…why not our little party as well?"  
  
Penny jumped up and paced to the window again as Al groaned. Turlough gave them both rolled eyes. "I did tell you." 


	7. In or Out?

All notes and warnings and disclaimers in Chapter 1  
  
Sorry…there is a lot of character/subplot development here.  
  
**  
  
  
  
Once upon a time, when Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart was a younger man, a younger officer, and he had joined up with UNIT, he had assumed that he would see adventure. Then, on a mission, he had met a strange man called the Doctor. Everything after that, all his missions, could be measured on a level of adventure against the line defined by that Time Lord.  
  
And this situation was no different. He stood in a small room, surrounded. The Brigadier glanced around the room, his eyes narrowed. He raised an eyebrow as one of the soldiers approached him. "I don't suppose you will tell me where we are…or what you plan to do with me."  
  
Another man, dressed in a simple single-breasted suit, turned and met the aging military man with a bright smile. "I can tell you that you are still in the military compound that you entered with…I believe…his name was…" he snapped his fingers for a moment, tapping the tips of his other fingers against his lips. "Turlough. Yes…Turlough. And I am Steven Reynolds…. envoy from the Minister of Energy."  
  
The Brigadier nodded slowly, accepting what he was told. "But you are not all that you seem are you?"  
  
"I was told that you were a fast learner, observant and a born leader," Reynolds answered, turning back toward the window and the endless green outside. "It really is a shame that you are on the other side, the other team so to speak. You would be an incredible ally. However, based on your previous history…"  
  
"How…"  
  
"I work for the government, my dear Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, I know everything there is to know about you. How old you are, what you have done, where you have gone, and…" Reynolds lifted his hand to point back at the old soldier, "…the company that you keep."  
  
Reynolds turned and walked back to his desk. "Especially a certain man named, I believe, Doctor John Smith, scientific advisor to UNIT. You have been friends and coworkers for almost a decade and a half. Strange, however, that there have been three different identification pictures on file for the man." He lifted his eyes to Alastair. "But I digress, you did ask whether I was all that I seem to be. No, I am not. And you will not be yourself either in a little while."  
  
"So you will tell me what you plan to do with me?" The Brigadier grimaced in impatience. He crossed his hands over his crotch. "And with the boy that I came with here…and the innocent scientists…"  
  
"No one is completely innocent, Brigadier. But yes, I will tell you. You will become the same as me…and I hope that you will be able to keep that wonderfully effervescent personality that you have been exhibiting so wantonly. Only a very few duplicates maintain their base personality. The ability to do as told and yet think for themselves." Reynolds glanced over at Smith. "You see, Smith here, lost his ability to have even the most rudimentary sense of humor. And he hates humans. I don't hate humans; I just feel that the Homo Sapiens race is a dead end evolutionary track whose position on a luscious planet should be capitulated. The Supreme Dalek created me. I believe in their cause, as you will too. Although I do dislike having to go through the time intensive method of creating duplicates, it can't be helped in this instance. The Dalek's plan for this planet, for control is so very logical, it seems useless not to follow them. Take him to the copy room, Smith."  
  
The Brigadier shrugged off the hand that was laid against his arm. He knew his best chance at freedom would be when he was less surrounded. But he wondered if he would ever be alone enough, before they ran him under a Xerox machine. He turned and walked away, between the two soldiers that had led him from the cell. As he neared the door, Reynolds called out: "Oh, and one more thing, Brigadier, although I do consider myself civilized, I do love killing. And I will kill you when you are done being copied. It just would not do to have two of you running around."  
  
The Brigadier rolled his eyes. He cursed his diplomatic status and for the fifth time bemoaned leaving his gun back in London.  
  
**  
  
Turlough was examining the welded iron at the window. Although it had no glass, the bars were so close together that there was no hope of getting out. He whistled and reached up to pull his tie from around his neck. It was tossed to join his coat. Al frowned as the boy missed the pile and the article landed on him.  
  
"Don't you have acid in that coat somewhere?" Turlough asked, testily. "It would make escaping so much easier."  
  
"I work in a microbiology lab. I would more likely be able to infect you with something particularly nasty than have sulphuric acid," Penny launched back. "And I thought you said that you have been in several situations like this; haven't you thought of an escape kit yet?"  
  
"Both of you, please…arguing is not helping the situation."  
  
"It keeps me busy," Penny answered. "But you are right, it is not helping the situation." She shrugged her shoulders, making her white coat billow. "What can we do?"  
  
Al glanced at his young assistant. "There are two ways into this room: the door and the window. There are two ways out."  
  
Turlough looked around at the ceiling and the walls. "What about the vent system?"  
  
With a vicious shake of his head, Al turned down the idea. "The rooms in this wing are compartmentalized. In case of a virus or chemical spill in one of the labs, the rest are not affected. If we were to crawl into the vent we would only end up…"  
  
"Back where we began?" Turlough supplied, putting his chin on his hand.  
  
"Yes, although the vent system goes to the roof…we would have about a fifteen to twenty foot vertical climb…" Al agreed.  
  
Penny groaned. Then she had a sudden thought. "These duplicates, Turlough, do they still have all of the basal drives of a man?"  
  
Turlough rubbed a tired hand through his hair and eyed his new acquaintance blearily. "As far as I know, yes…possibly. Most of the ones I met were less emotionally available than a rock, but I suppose they do have most of the basal drives of a man. Why?"  
  
Penny smiled widely and reached up to unbutton her coat. "I think I can get the boys in here, if you two would be so good as to take care of them once the get through the door. Oh…and Al…" she said, "I don't want to hear anything about this later…understand?"  
  
**  
  
"Smith?"  
  
The short man put down the clipboard he had been carrying. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"That nice American government man that accompanied us here…"  
  
"He's already been disposed of, sir. Duplicated and disposed." Smith answered, folding his hands in front of him.  
  
"The duplication chamber? Has it been completely reset? I think the sooner we remove the original Brigadier, the sooner I can release the others from the holding room. We need to get those scientists back into the lab as quickly as possible. And the assassinations...an escalation. The invasion will happen in one week."  
  
"But, sir…the vaccine…"  
  
"Will not be ready…yes, Smith, we know…"  
  
"Then…."  
  
"The invasion will escalate in one week, Smith," Reynolds answered patiently. "Do not ask questions that require answers that you will not understand. Just check on the duplication process…and bring that boy, Turlough to come see me. He is known as a companion of the Doctor." He held up his hand to stem argument. "Run along, Smith."  
  
**  
  
The Doctor glanced at the interior door. Tegan had been gone a very long time, in his estimation. He lowered his head tiredly, rubbing at the back of his neck. Then, with a few decisive flicks of switches, he strode toward the corridor. He hoped against hope that she had not lost herself in the massive maze that was the TARDIS. After all, of all the companions that he had had over his long traveling history, Tegan seemed to be the one with an affinity for hiking the hallowed halls. He opened the door and stopped.  
  
Tegan was standing in the corridor, clearly reaching out to open the door. They were equally startled into silence for a minute, before she went to press on the door behind him to enter the console room. The Doctor rubbed his chin as she walked by him. "Tegan…I have the distinct impression that you were not dressed that way when you left the console room."  
  
She nodded and glanced down at her clothes. "I had hoped that wearing the kind of clothes that I had worn with you the first time around would help me with feeling more…in control."  
  
He agreed; it was a good idea at that. "In times of stress, being surrounded by familiar things can help bring the mind back on an even keel."  
  
"Forgot how large the clothes cupboard was here, Doc…" she brushed her hair over her shoulder. The outfit that she wore was colorful, but comfortable; a black pair of chino pants and a red, black and gold striped shirt. She had worn the same sort of bright clothes when she had traveled on board the TARDIS. This time, however, she wore sensible, black walking shoes. "Are we there, then?"  
  
"Ah…yes…" the Doctor walked around her to the console. "Yes…Brazil…you know…" he said, as he watched the rotor stop its rise and fall. "I was to Brazil well before you were born…1947, actually. Beautiful country, lovely cities…people are, for the most part, friendly."  
  
Tegan crossed her arms over her chest with a wry grin. As her hip leaned against the console, she asked: "And this laboratory? You landed near it?"  
  
"Course I did, Tegan," the Doctor said, indignantly, reaching to open viewscreen. "The laboratory is right outside Rio de Janeiro. And we are…"  
  
She rolled her eyes as she faced the screen. It was clear that the TARDIS was surrounded by undergrowth. "In the jungle…with civilization nowhere in sight."  
  
The Doctor pointed at her. "Ye of little faith, Tegan. I am sure that we are very close." He jammed his hat on his head and spun on his heel. With a fast stride, he left the room. Tegan suddenly felt like laughing and followed him with a large smile on her face.  
  
When she exited, the Doctor was swiping leaves from his face. He moved a little away and let a branch fall back on her absentmindedly. She grumbled as she pushed it out of the way. It was a good-natured grumble.  
  
"Hmm…we appear to be some distance from the compound, Tegan. Feel up to a hike? Good. Lock the door will you…the TARDIS will still remember your handprint…the old girl must have landed us here…for a reason…she knew how important it was to get us on target. There must be danger ahead."  
  
"When isn't there?" she asked.  
  
The Doctor shot her a friendly glare. And then he was off, walking quickly away from the TARDIS. Tegan twisted around, pulled the door shut and pressed her thumb against the lock. There was a resounding click. And then, she started after the Doctor in a jog. She caught up to him quickly. "Doctor?"  
  
"Hmmm, yes?" he answered absentmindedly. He stopped for a moment, gazing at the sky…what could be seen…and then took off at a fast walk in a slightly different direction.  
  
"You said that you changed the thumbprints on the TARDIS when your friends left…"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then why hasn't mine…"  
  
The Doctor pushed another branch out of the way and began to stride down a slight incline. "Keep up, Tegan. If I am right about direction and distance, we don't have time to waste."  
  
  
  
The Brigadier eyed the table with trepidation. There were ankle restraints, arm restraints and a sturdy looking waist restraints. The part that caused worry was the several electrical patches that would be attached to his head and throat.  
  
He motioned to the table. "I don't suppose I get a last phone call, do I?" Alastair opted for the humorous approach.  
  
"You will be duplicated and then destroyed. Lie on the table."  
  
The Brigadier walked around the center console and glanced at the instrumentation. It didn't look as complicated as the TARDIS.  
  
"Lie on the table." The order was repeated with menace.  
  
He lifted his chin defiantly and stared at his captor. He went to walk to the table, dodging neatly to the side, hitting one of his guards, grabbing the gun and began a headlong run to the door. His flight was cut short as three more guards that had been flanking the door stepped into his path. Four men, four guns. The Brigadier sighed. He knew that there was no way of escape at that moment. He would have to bide his time.  
  
With a heavy sigh laced with a moan, he slid onto the table and stared at the ceiling. "Well, get on with it would you?"  
  
**  
  
08978090973242-9874234-a  
  
Maintenance of the time corridor stabilized. Transmissions continue. Estimated five day growth of the eye of the vortex until Daleks can enter the vortex unharmed.  
  
  
  
**  
  
"Reroute power to the vortex and send what information is needed to the Earth Laboratory for vaccine production. When work is complete, the scientists will be transferred to the Battle Cruiser."  
  
**  
  
Penny leaned back against the wall, her legs crossed and her hair down. Her white coat was lying on the bed; her shirt was partially undone. "Hi boys," she said, in sultry tones as the door opened. The two guards glanced at one another.  
  
"You seeing what I'm seeing?" one asked the other.  
  
"Either that or you have very vivid dreams, Collins."  
  
The two guards walked forward into the room. Turlough launched out of his corner first, his fisted hands landed heavily on the first guard. Al followed quickly, but missed the man's shoulder, landing a blow against the Collins' head. Both men crumpled to the ground. Penny smiled at their still forms.  
  
"That was easier than I thought," she commented happily. "It seems that I have not lost my touch."  
  
Al shook his head. All three pulled and pushed the prone bodies into the corner and walked out the door quietly. When it was pulled shut, they were pleased to hear a wonderful click of a locked door with them on the freedom side. Turlough waited only a moment before he was running away from the door with a hissed: "Come on…"  
  
**  
  
The Doctor stopped at the edge of the large clearing in the trees that contained the compound. They were still more than a half a mile away; he wanted to be cautious, however. There were only a few guards, but those guards did have guns. The underbrush was too thick where they were standing; there wouldn't be any patrols in this area. Tegan pushed down the leaves a little lower than the Doctor and gazed in as well.  
  
"Is that it?" she whispered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked.  
  
The Doctor rolled his eyes and glanced at her. "When we find the duplicate in control, you can ask them."  
  
She frowned and eased to the ground. The walk had invigorated her and now she was almost upset that they were just sitting there. The Doctor's coat was spread out on the ground and she crouched back down on it. He joined her second later. When he rested back against the tree trunk, she turned to him. "Why are we just sitting here?"  
  
"You expect me to just walk in?" he asked. "It is obvious that Turlough and the Brigadier are already here. What good could I do them if I got captured as well? Hmmm?"  
  
"A sight more than just sitting here, I dare say," she hissed back.  
  
"Feeling better, are you?" he raised an eyebrow. "For a moment there, you sounded just like the Tegan of old."  
  
"Well, we can't just leave them there…" she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"And I can't just barge in the front door. I have a plan, but it will require some stealth…preferable night. I have to think of you as well…"  
  
"Doctor…" she complained. "Don't make me an excuse…"  
  
"I'm not. Let me hear your plan."  
  
Tegan opened her mouth, but then shook her head. "I don't have one."  
  
"Then don't complain about my lack of a plan that satisfies you," he answered, somewhat condescendingly. He rose up on his knees and glanced at the clearing. "It will be nightfall in less than an half an hour. At that point, I will be going into the compound through that building there…" he pointed at the building nearest them. " If all goes according to plan, I should be back there with Turlough and the Brigadier before you can get into too much trouble."  
  
"Your plans never go according to plan," she reminded him.  
  
"You don't understand the practicality of being unpredictable, Tegan. If I don't know what my next move is, how can they?" He joked, and sat back down. Tegan continued to frown and glanced off to the side, rubbing her arms. He observed her for a few minutes in silence. There was less pain in the lines of her face now. She seemed more confident than she had been just two days previous when he had turned up on her doorstep.  
  
"I didn't change your handprint, because I had a feeling I would see you again," he began lowly. "After all, you did come back once, Tegan. What was stopping you from coming back again?"  
  
"If you said no…"  
  
"I wouldn't have," he countered quickly. "If I remember correctly, I asked you not to go." He plowed into completely different conversation in order to get a completely honest answer out of her. "What was Timothy like?"  
  
"What? Oh…tall…smart…"  
  
"What did he look like?"  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
"Of course it matters, Tegan…everything matters. Tell me…what was his coloring?"  
  
Tegan rose on her knees and checked the guards below. "There are less down there now…"  
  
"Probably the changing of the guard, so to speak. Was he ugly, Tegan, is that why you are avoiding the question?" he pressed.  
  
"Of course not," she bit out in anger. "He was very handsome…tall…blond…" She stopped as what she said sunk into her conscious mind. She turned and glanced down at him. He was sitting quite still, his hands folded to look like he was praying. His hands were pressed against his lips. He was not looking at her.  
  
"He looked like me, didn't he, Tegan?"  
  
Tegan closed her eyes and sighed. In her mind's eye, she saw how her Tim had looked the day she had met him. He was tall, willowy, blond, but with longer hair than the Doctor. His eyes were more hazel than blue and his shoulders were less broad. Tim could have passed for a younger brother of the Time Lord, but there was no denying that there was a physical resemblance between the two.  
  
"It's not what you think," Tegan began, holding her hand up. She stopped as the Doctor lifted his eyes and in the falling night, pierced her with a stare. "He could have been in your family, but he wasn't you. Why are you asking me about this, anyway?" she spat out, quietly.  
  
"There is more going on in your mind, Tegan than just the reaction to trauma…and what you just told me is the final piece of the puzzle," he said quietly. When she opened her mouth to argue, he held up his hand. "Hear me out. I think I know the full reason behind your current mental state…but telling you this is not going to clear it up for you. But it will give us a starting point."  
  
She sat back down, removed from him and stared at him in the growing dark.  
  
"You were suffering from a mild form of PTSD when you left the TARDIS…it was nothing that would have hurt you in the long run, if it had been properly dealt with at the time. But you thought that removing yourself from the source was the best idea and granted, it might have been. However, on top of suffering from trauma, you left when you had been missing for several months, with no money, no place to live, and just the clothes on your back. That caused stress, which compounded what you were already feeling at the time. Additionally, a few months later, you started to regret your decision, and were probably just getting back on your proverbial feet…money, residence and job wise, am I correct so far?"  
  
Tegan simply stared back at him.  
  
"Well then…I know this much about you, Tegan: when you regret something that occurred from your own actions, you suffer from anger and guilt. In this case, I think it was more guilt than anger. That guilt and having no other recourse, you let it fester inside. About this time, you were starting to have trouble sleeping and were having problems with work. Correct?"  
  
"This is scary…" Tegan breathed.  
  
"Ah…I am dead on, I think. Fine. So, about this time…about six months after you left Turlough and I, you met Timothy. He looked like me. You said he was smart. You probably felt that it was more like me than he was."  
  
"Stop." Tegan spoke harshly.  
  
He nodded. "Let me finish. You went to him, and probably fell in love with him. I don't know, Tegan. At this point, I can't tell what you would have felt. But whether you were in love with him or not is not the point." He pointed a finger at the ground to drive home his point. "You gravitated to him because you thought that he was me…deep inside and you wanted your problems fixed. You thought I could help you. And I can. Me. Not Tim, and about the time that you married him, you realized that too. So you were angry with yourself and angry with him, deep inside because you could not get the help you needed. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, the drop that filled the bucket. You went into full blown mental trauma. You remained with Tim because you are loyal and stubborn and tried your best to be a good wife."  
  
He stopped and leaned forward. "Am I right?"  
  
Tegan leaned away from him, and bit her lip. She felt like running. How could he know so much? "Doctor…"  
  
He nodded. "Just tell me yes or no."  
  
"Yes…" she answered, turning away from him. "I hate that you know me that well."  
  
"Someone has to," he said, quietly. "You said I was your responsibility, Tegan. You are as much mine as I was yours. We are friends, you know. And as one of my companions told me a long time ago…that is what friends do: look out for each other. Now that I have an idea, we can trace back through your mind and figure out a way to help you. At least I know what to do…" he got up on his knees to stare out at the trees. "You see, the problem with you humans is that your thought processes, your actions and your emotions cannot be separated. It makes a bit more troublesome to solve problems. It is true that traveling with me was not the easiest on your mind…but it has compounded since you left. I think maybe two or three weeks of intense intervention we should be able to get beyond this. I can help you with most of it, but in reality this is all going to have to be your doing. We just have to iron out your emotions along the way."  
  
"That's it make it sound like you are doing the laundry," she stated sarcastically.  
  
He gave her a brilliant smile. "Right. So now…are you ready to go into the compound?"  
  
"After that you want me to come with you in there?"  
  
"Absolutely. I have one problem ready to be tackled and the other…our friends…now need our attention. And we should get going."  
  
Tegan sighed as the Doctor stood up and walked away, toward the compound, the nearest building and through the trees. She stood and followed. She did feel lighter, stronger. A little, a blessed little. In reality she didn't hate that he knew her that well; she was glad. He was right…someone had to know her like that. He held back the branches for her and she scrambled under them. It was well after they breached the perimeter that they remembered the Doctor's coat, lying forgotten in the underbrush.  
  
**  
  
Turlough caught Penny as she jumped from the window to the ground. Al was waiting his turn to jump to outside. Turlough smiled, and let the girl down. She ran to the corner of the building and looked around. As Al and Turlough came up along side her, she whispered: "Turlough, don't you want to save your friend?"  
  
"Who?" he asked.  
  
"The Brigadier," Penny pressed.  
  
"Oh…I can do a better job with more firepower…"  
  
"Guns?"  
  
"No, the Doctor."  
  
Penny grinned. "I hope this man is as good as you say." She pressed back against building and grabbed Turlough by the scruff of his neck. He groaned as he hit the wall. "Quiet…someone is coming!"  
  
**  
  
The Brigadier rose from the table unsteadily: it felt like someone had run a steamroller through his brain. But it was not his mental state that sent him stumbling back against the table for support. It was the fact that he was facing himself. 


	8. Nearest to Danger, Furthest from Harm

Notes in part 1 Quote of Tolkien from the Two Towers Movie, definitely not mine.  
  
** Turlough often wondered if his travels with the Doctor would be the death of him. Although a capable young man (if he did say so himself), some of the situations he had experienced lately had tested his boundaries, his patience and his resilience. Take, for instance, he thought, this situation. He was pressed against a cold wall with an infuriating girl, and an old man who would most definitely lose any tests of physical strength he was given. The Brigadier was missing and the Doctor and Tegan were Universe only Knows where. And.the Daleks were involved. To top it all off, he though as he rolled his eyes heavenward, his little group of derelicts was trapped with someone approaching around the corner of the building.  
  
If the travels with the Doctor didn't kill him, he was sure the perversity of the Universe would drive him insane.  
  
He took a deep breath, tightened his muscles and prepared to fight.  
  
Only to have his arm grabbed in a cool vice-like grip.  
  
Before he could force his brain to interpret its visual clues, his ears were assaulted by a familiar and yet strangely irritating Australian drawl saying: "Oh, it's you."  
  
Turlough's eyes snapped open. "Doctor. Tegan."  
  
"Turlough," the Doctor stated with a nod. He released the boy's wrist. "I gather by you using subterfuge to try and leave the compound, you're escaping. And with friends, yet." The Doctor reached behind him and ushered Tegan around the corner to join the small band.  
  
"But." Turlough sighed in frustration and glanced longingly at the direction his friends had come. That way, he thought, was the way of freedom.  
  
"We were attempting to leave that way," Penny pointed out, waving her hand at the corner.  
  
"You'll do much better to find another route," the Doctor whispered conspiratorially. He glanced around the corner with a frown. Then, a brief second later with a flourish that still brought a smile to Tegan's lips, he turned back around. "Al Pendrall. How are you? It has been ages."  
  
"Do I know you?" Al retorted. "I've never met you before in my life."  
  
"Oops, Doc," Tegan issued. "Seems he knew an older model."  
  
"Quite," the Doctor agreed. "Trust me, Al, I'm Doctor Smith, UNIT Scientific advisor. I'll explain later how this difference exists. I know your work. If you can't believe that I am he, then believe that I do work for UNIT, know your work and am on your side. Turlough?"  
  
"He tells the truth and if the Brigadier were here, he would tell you the same," Turlough answered with a grim nod.  
  
Tegan, however, had tired of the explanation time. She gave the two scientists a look of disdain. "Duplicates?" she said, quietly, accusingly.  
  
Penny caught on immediately. "You wouldn't believe me if I said I wasn't. But we were locked up with your mate here. We were prisoners too. That has to count for something."  
  
Tegan opened her mouth to argue, but was stopped with a glance from the Doctor. "Of course you were, and of course we believe you" The Doctor rubbed his brow. "Al, do you believe me? We have little time to convince you. Daleks might move slowly, but the duplicates, I assure you, will move very quickly."  
  
Turlough nodded towards the gap in the buildings. "So we make for the TARDIS? You did bring it with you, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course I did," the Doctor answered. "But we won't be going that way right now."  
  
"But-"  
  
The Doctor shook his head slowly. "Al?"  
  
"Don't ask me why, but I do believe you," Al answered as he ignored Penny's incredulous look.  
  
The Doctor gave a small grin. "Good. I'll show you it was the correct decision. Now, if this is a typical military installation, there will be the laboratory wing, a barracks of sorts and an XO office. You were imprisoned."  
  
".in the laboratory building. This one," Penny offered. She didn't look entirely happy.  
  
"Ah, then the barracks should be the building in front and the XO will be off to the side."  
  
Tegan grimaced with thought. "So we're heading to.where? Oz?"  
  
"Back into the laboratory building. We need to find the Brigadier. They took him for a reason and I won't leave him behind." The Doctor glanced around the corner and then nodded to the window that stood open a distance away down the wall. "Your exit, I presume."  
  
He led them back along the wall and indicated for Turlough to crawl back inside. The boy did so with a sour turn to his mouth. Tegan was the last in and gave the Doctor a patented frown. "Are you sure about this?"  
  
"I'd come back for you or Turlough-"  
  
"No, I mean is this the proper way to handle those Daleks?"  
  
"I don't know, Tegan. I'm improvising as I go along. Up you go."  
  
**  
  
"It isn't possible."  
  
Reynolds released a chortle that made the Brigadier turn quickly. "What is it about humans? They always state something is impossible or implausible even as it stares them in the face. Your science and definition of science is so narrow. When will you learn that nothing exceeds the ability of science, Alastair, only your ability to define it."  
  
The Brigadier straightened his coat with a quick jerk to its hem. "What are you going to do with it?"  
  
"With you, you mean," sounded the Brigadier's own voice. Alastair twisted back to stare at his own face split in a wide grin. "How do you like your own likeness, Alastair? You want to know what they will do with you and me."  
  
With a sharp cough to clear his throat, Alastair shook his head. He spoke only to Reynolds when he continued. "What are you going to do with it? My duplicate?"  
  
"What we have done with all the others, my dear Brigadier. You are going to be used as a decoy, or an object of the bait and switch, if you will. Your friends are here. We will use your twin to infiltrate and mislead your friends while we finish our plans. Eventually, your twin will be led back to Britain and UNIT and will be our agent there. There at the heart of UNIT we will have someone that can countermand orders and issue ours."  
  
The Brigadier lifted his chin. "I'll never allow that."  
  
Reynolds gave the captive soldier a grin and approached him. The Brigadier faced down the man (duplicate, he reminded himself) as his face grew to fill his entire vision. "You make it sounds as though you have a choice, Alastair. You don't. I believe your friend Smith is known to say: where there is life, there is always hope."  
  
Steven turned to the guards at the door. At this point the Brigadier didn't know if they were duplicates or their originals. "Take the Brigadier to the forward brig, if you will, and place him under guard. I will move him in a short while."  
  
The Brigadier, again, shook off the hands that extended to move him along and stepped out the door with his head held high. Reynolds was amused as he watched the soldier leave the room. "Brigadier," he said, turning to the duplicate, "follow me. I believe I know a place to put you where you can be found by the right people."  
  
**  
  
"Is he insane?" Penny hissed to Al. Tegan turned to address the young lab assistant. The Doctor smiled a hidden grin. There were few things at that moment that could tie and bind Tegan's sanity together well enough to make her coherent and reliable. The major things were her loyalty to her friends and anger at any slight directed at them. He could help her by being an object of ridicule. Insults little affected him, but Tegan had never learned that fact. She took insults to him personally. He waited patiently to hear her retort.  
  
"Do you have a better idea? The Doctor deals with situations like this all the time. I don't see you giving any other thoughts in the matter."  
  
Penny narrowed her eyes. "Going back into the lab when that is where all those duplicates as you call them are and men with guns isn't the best idea no matter how you look at it."  
  
The Doctor glanced around a corner and ushered his small band around a corner. "Have you read Tolkien, Penny? 'The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm.' Come along; don't dawdle. Do you think that they'll actually be looking for us here?"  
  
The girl nodded. Her white coat was drawn back as she put her hands on her hips. "Yes. Don't you? Think what you are doing?"  
  
The Doctor nodded once sharply. "Yes. We are going back to a place where they expect us."  
  
Al gaped at the Time Lord. "Then that means, Smith, that you are taking us into a trap."  
  
"Is it?" the Doctor smiled back at his old friend. "If you know something is a trap, doesn't that neutralize the danger? If we were to go the other way, out into the jungle and back to the TARDIS and attempt to take on this problem without direction, then we're very much on our own. But with walking back into a trap, we are actually traveling further from harm, if we're on our toes. This is all occurring according to someone's plans, which should be somewhat comforting to you. I'd rather use them to our end and throw a wrench in their works as opposed to starting over from scratch. Does that make sense to you?" He whispered to Penny.  
  
As they turned another corner, Al led the way into the heart of the laboratory wing. Penny frowned and muttered something about men and lack of conventional wisdom under her breath. Tegan stayed behind the Doctor, neither cowardly nor brave. He glanced at his friend with a wide grin. "She sounds like a younger you, Tegan."  
  
She gave him her patented look number five and edged past him.  
  
"We're coming up on the main labs, here, Smith," Pendrall whispered back. "If they are using them for their purposes, I'd say they would be using the main sickbay lab off the side. The rest of the areas are for microbiology research and PCR analysis."  
  
"Then that's where they'll be dealing with the Brigadier," the Doctor reassured. "We also need most of your research. I saw the results of it in Australia. If you can tell me what you've found out about the virus and what they might be using for the vaccine-"  
  
"I've got it all in my head, lad," Al voiced. Penny smiled.  
  
"Then let's gather the Brigadier, see what they have planned for us and then see what we can do, hmm?" He gave Penny a wide smile. "I think that is a rather smashing plan."  
  
He joined Al at the front of the group with large steps. The two of them hurried down the hall, with Penny and Tegan jogging behind them. Turlough took up the rear, glancing behind the group as they ran, walked and skipped around the final corner leading to the sickbay. He only hoped that the Doctor knew what he was doing. Everything always worked out in the end with him, but the means to the ends were always shaky.  
  
**  
  
"This is it, Smith," Pendrall whispered and hid in the corner to punch his personal code into the keypad. The entry screen blinked red. "They've changed my code."  
  
The Doctor squinted at the keypad and grunted. "Move aside, Al. There's a good chap." He shimmied in next to the aging scientist and the wall.  
  
Turlough shook his head. "We don't have time for this. Is there another way in?" he pressed. "We're sitting ducks out here."  
  
"Be quiet," Tegan hissed. She and Penny edged into the doorway and glanced about nervously.  
  
"I highly doubt the big guns are here," the Doctor answered as he punched in a code. After five minutes, he finished a final sequence and the door slid open silently. "Well, this is obviously the right way. That was too easy."  
  
"Too easy?"  
  
Turlough pressed his hand flat against Tegan and Penny's backs to get them inside. He backed in behind Al and the Doctor as they entered the room. He released a loud sigh of relief as the door slid shut.  
  
But when he turned, he cursed.  
  
The Brigadier was tied to a table and there were several guards standing about the room with guns. As he had said before, he thought fast and furiously, traveling with the Doctor would be the death of him. 


	9. Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

"Doctor Smith, I presume," Reynolds called loudly. "That is what you are called on this planet, isn't it? In this era at least."  
  
"I prefer just Doctor, thank you," the Doctor called. He slipped his hands into his pockets. A sudden pinching to his arm had him glancing to his side. Tegan was there, gripping his skin in a vice-like hold. He patted her hand. "Easy now, Tegan," he encouraged.  
  
"He's a.a."  
  
"Duplicate. Yes, Mrs. Jones, I believe that's an adequate but not quite accurate term for what I am."  
  
"A clone on the sub-molecular level," the Doctor retorted, his eyes wide. Turlough could feel another scientific lecture approaching and rolled his eyes. "A genetic graft on an existing chromosomal framework of the basic bipedal form. Ingenious, but not quite to Gallifreyan standard. At least we've been able to engineer the bioelectronic field to hold and maintain the soul. Something I doubt the Daleks would want to do even if they could."  
  
Al, despite his obvious fear, gaped at the Doctor and stumbled over next to him. After two unsuccessful tries at speech, he gutted out: "But that's impossible."  
  
"For twentieth century Earth, definitely," the Doctor agreed. "The whole idea is quite mad, isn't it?"  
  
"But it isn't impossible for the Dalek Empire, Dr. Pendrall," Reynolds chuckled. "Thank you for the most excellent lecture, Doctor. I understand from my predecessor that you do excel at lecturing when given the chance. If you're quite finished, however, I would advise you to surrender."  
  
"Surrender?" Penny called out. She brushed back her hair. Tegan appreciated the sour frown on the girl's face. "You've the guns. You make it sound like we've a choice."  
  
The Doctor ignored the interaction. His mind was otherwise occupied. "The Brigadier here; he is unharmed, I hope?"  
  
"Yes, for now-"  
  
"Ah, of course," the Doctor nodded. He whipped his hands out of his pockets to motion to the guards. "Of course. And now that you have us? As my new friend Penny has pointed out, we obviously don't have a choice and have, for all intents of purpose, surrendered."  
  
"You can't be serious," Tegan hissed at his elbow. "You can't surrender."  
  
"Hush, Tegan," he reiterated and raised an eyebrow at Reynolds. "I would love to take the opportunity to ask some questions-"  
  
"I'm sure you would, Doctor. Your curiosity is galactically known. Unfortunately, there is little time now to engage in an educational conversation."  
  
"I see," the Doctor replied, his tone very downtrodden. To Turlough the Time Lord looked like a boy who had had his candy taken away. "Of course. And I suppose you will be imprisoning us?"  
  
Reynolds gave a curt nod as he walked around the table that held the Brigadier. "Very astute, dear Doctor. You and your friends will be imprisoned here until we've procured your method of transfer to the Dalek fleet."  
  
"Ah, very good," the Doctor said, leaning forward. "The time corridor is-"  
  
"Quite operational although-"  
  
"You're having problems with the energy, I would suppose. Up to now you've only been able to transmit information down it to Earth." The Doctor bit his lip and glanced around at his friends. "You've had little time to perfect it. We are to be the guinea pigs so to speak. If we can pass through, then the Daleks can return, yes?"  
  
Reynolds smiled widely. "You understand your purpose well. We never waste an opportunity." Turning, the man glared at the surrounding guards. "There are no other ways out of this room; guard them from the corridor." As he walked toward the door, he addressed Pendrall. "You'll find that your computer password has been rescinded and that all of the technology herein is non-functional. Expect to be moved in the hour."  
  
The Doctor stood facing the door, his shoulders back and his head reared. As the door slid shut, leaving the friends in the room, the silence was disrupted by loud conversation.  
  
"That is simply wonderful," Penny voiced, turning to Alfred. "You've led us back into prison, Doctor whoever you are." Tegan was surprised the girl didn't stamp her feet. "What can you hope to accomplish here?"  
  
Alfred sighed and joined Turlough as the boy freed the Brigadier. "Penny, please. Relax, lass."  
  
"Relax? We're back into the fire. We skipped the damn frying pan."  
  
Tegan whipped around to face Penny. Her grip on the Doctor's arm was still intense and he could feel her shaking, but when she spoke, her voice held some of her old strength. "I haven't seen you give a better idea."  
  
"I did," Penny nearly yelled back. "I said not to come back this way."  
  
"Stop bickering," Turlough stated, as if very tired. "You can argue later, you two. Brigadier, are you all right?"  
  
"Never been better, Turlough. You all took your time getting here, however."  
  
"Glad to hear it, Brigadier," the Doctor called, rubbing his neck. He moved towards the table and leaned heavily on its surface as he stared at his old friend. "Have they processed you in any way, Alastair? Have they- "  
  
"Hooked me up to that brute of a computer? No."  
  
"Ah, good. That means that they haven't had the chance to copy and use your life's memories," the Doctor said, checking the old soldier's eyes. "Hmm, it seems all is in order. Good, good." Straightening, he addressed Penny. "We are exactly where they wish us to be. The object, like a good chess game or an excellent cricket game, is to use complacency to our advantage. They'll be complacent that we're here, correct? That gives us an advantage. A chance to throw a spanner into the works so to speak."  
  
"And what on Earth can you hope to accomplish locked in a laboratory with guards with guns at the door? We can't even properly use the computers," Penny croaked out. "I don't understand what we're doing here."  
  
"I assure you," the Doctor retorted, bending to look in her eyes. "Using the computer won't be a problem. And I intend to use it."  
  
"But Smith." Pendrall voiced. "They've."  
  
"Rescinded your password. That doesn't mean the Doctor can't get in to the mainframe." Turlough walked forward and clicked on the computer with a smile. Within moments, a prompt was blinking on the terminal. "But what you hope to-" he shook his head.  
  
The Doctor sat down at the terminal and placed his spectacles on the end of his nose. He glanced at Turlough over the top of them and gave his companion a look. "Oh, Turlough," he began disappointedly. "Think. This is a military biological research station. They've been doing work on a vaccine for the Movellian virus."  
  
Turlough nodded once curtly, giving the Brigadier a sideways glance. "We could change the structure of the vaccine?"  
  
Al Pendrall shook his head. "The work was completed yesterday. The commander of this base-"  
  
"A duplicate if Turlough can be believed," Penny interjected.  
  
"-took the vaccine to have it tested. I dare say it will work, though," Pendrall grimaced. "Sometimes I wish that I wasn't such a perfectionist with my work."  
  
"Hmm. Don't blame yourself for a job well done," the Doctor stated affectionately. "It does make this situation much worse than I expected, however." He shifted in the chair and began to experiment with different key strokes. His eyes narrowed. "The basic structure of three administrative levels for the program mainframe still exists."  
  
"That's all well fine and good," Tegan said, her voice heightened from the beginning of panic. "Doctor, if you're through with the Magical Mystery Tour of that computer, I think you should get what you need and we should get out of here."  
  
"For once," Penny murmured. "I agree with her."  
  
"What do you need?" Turlough asked.  
  
"Well, if the vaccine was already made and has been tested, it can be either isolated or reproduced. Destruction of the information on chemical and biological composition is useless then. What we need is the research on the virus itself."  
  
Pendrall frowned. "You'll need primary administration level. I hid the files on that work in a hidden folder in under my heading. They can't get in there, but neither can I. If you get to the primary level, I can give you the password-"  
  
"Excellent, Pendrall." The Doctor began to tap quickly on the computer. He bit his lip as his fingers flew over the keyboard.  
  
Penny laid her hand on Tegan's arm and took her a small distance away from the others. "Your friend is insane, you know."  
  
"He's never led me wrong; I've never come to harm with him," Tegan narrowed her eyes in anger. "The Doctor's quite all right, you'll see."  
  
"He'll never get in that computer mainframe. It's been created and challenged by the best programmers in both the States and Britain-"  
  
"Eureka!" the Doctor called loudly, before the Brigadier warned him to be quieter. "We're in, Pendrall."  
  
Al raised his eyebrows in surprise and glanced at the Doctor with new found respect. "You must be Smith. Only he would have been able to get into that computer that quickly. Move aside. Penny, girl, get me two disks. You'll have that information in a moment, Smith."  
  
The Doctor bounced out of the chair with a flourish. "Make two copies, Pendrall. It's always best to have a duplicate."  
  
Tegan shook her head at his poor humor and crossed her arms as he drew alongside her. He suddenly leaned down and stared in her eyes. "Are you all right?" he pressed. He could see that her coloring had paled and her hands were shaking.  
  
With a weak smile, she gave the age old answer. "Of course. I'm indestructible."  
  
"No. You're not," he said with a lifted eyebrow.  
  
"If you must know," she said with venom. "I feel like my ears and eyes are in a tunnel and my heart is pounding. I thought I left this all behind. I nearly screamed when those men pulled guns on us."  
  
He nodded, as though he had expected the answer. "Stay with me, Tegan. I promise I'll get you home safe and sound. Just keep thinking about that, all right?"  
  
"Done, Smith," Pendrall called out. He held up two sets of floppies. "What do you want to do with them?"  
  
"You take a set, Pendrall and give me the other. I trust," the Doctor said as he took a set of disks and slipped it into his pocket. "I trust that you'll know what to do with them-"  
  
As he spoke the door in the corner of the room slid open. A sole humanoid entered the room, holding a gun. "We have orders to transfer you to the transmit chamber. Move!"  
  
"Ah, wonderful. You'll have tea there? Hmm?" the Doctor asked. He put his hand at Tegan's back and urged her towards the door. He gave a glance to Turlough and Al, saving a nod for the Brigadier. As he passed Penny, he took her arm. "Come along, you two," he said jovially.  
  
As they entered the corridor, the Doctor back pedaled slightly. His sudden move made the others crowd in close to him. Then suddenly, he shot forward and grasped the gun of the nearest guard. He caused the man to teeter, unbalanced. At the same time, Turlough pressed hard on Tegan's back and Penny's arm to get them to move in another direction. He reached behind himself in the next breath to grab the Brigadier's arm. "With all due respect," he whispered harshly. "Move, sir."  
  
The Doctor released the gun suddenly and the guard fell back against the wall. He twisted and grabbed Tegan's hand and Penny's arm as the two girls ran in the other direction. After two strides, he passed them, dragging them behind him as he sprinted around the corner. Turlough shoved the Brigadier ahead of him as the man called out: "Of all the cheek, boy!"  
  
Al was the last one out of the room and Turlough, in a sudden fit of heroism, stayed behind to usher the man along. A fleeting thought that Pendrall reminded Turlough of his father flew through his mind, but the gun that appeared under his nose stopped him from doing much. The Trion officer watched as his friends ran away from him and sighed. Al panted next to him. "I don't suppose that if we say we surrender, it'll stop you from using that thing," Turlough commented as he straightened his tie.  
  
**  
  
"Keep your heads down," the Doctor muttered as he ran. Penny grimaced from the vice-like strength in the man's grip. She heard running feet behind her and prayed that it was the others instead of the guards. A sudden gunshot to the ceiling over their heads deadened that hope. She gasped, but the sound was overwhelmed by a quiet moan from Tegan. Glancing over at the other girl, Penny saw one of Tegan's hands fly to her head and heard her muttering under her breath.  
  
"Tegan," the Doctor shouted. He dropped Penny's arm and shouted to the Brigadier who Penny was surprised to see was right behind them. "Take Penny, Brigadier. Run for the perimeter. You'll see my coat in the Eastern quarter."  
  
Another shot whizzed over their heads and Penny shot ahead of both the Brigadier and the Doctor, her white lab coat flapping behind her as she ran. "You don't have to tell me twice," she yelled.  
  
The Doctor released Tegan's hand and slipped his arm around her waist. He grabbed her other hand and somehow kept the both of them running. His voice was harsh to drown out the sound of her mutterings. "Run, Tegan."  
  
"No, no. Not again," Tegan whimpered, struggling to back out of his arm while he kept her sprinting forward. "No more guns."  
  
"Run, Tegan," he chanted, trying to overwhelm her moans. He could hear her struggling to take deep breaths as the door ahead of them bounced open against the outer wall. Two steps later, he followed the Brigadier out the door, half-dragging, half-carrying Tegan. Another shot hit a tree near them and it was the last thing Tegan heard or saw for a long time. 


End file.
